A Legend Remains: Man of Lore
by JustTooMany
Summary: Stranded on a new planet without contact to home, a lone warrior must adjust to his predicament. Named a fugitive, he must evade being hunted by authorities as well as other pursuers. His arsenal and a few stolen relics are not all he'll need to survive. He'd have to rely on his wits too. With only his will and pride leading him, can he handle this harsh world? [SW Legends AU/RWBY]
1. Legacy Of War

**AN: Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Star Wars.**

With that out of the way, get on to reading and enjoy.

* * *

 **Prologue: Legacy Of War**

* * *

 _"Here's why you can't exterminate us. We're not huddled in one place, we span the galaxy. We need no lords or leaders, so you can't destroy our command. We can live without technology, so we can fight with our bare hands. We have no species or bloodlines, so we can rebuild our ranks with others who want to join us. We're more than just a people or an army. We're a culture. We are an idea. And you can't kill ideas... be we can certainly kill you." -Boba Fett_

* * *

A Q-Carrier star cruiser enters the atmosphere of the planet of Rekkiad. It landed on a desolate frozen planet, just on the edge of a large cliff. On the cliff face and below the edge was a large doorway, the entrance to the reason the ship was here. The hatch opened and the walkway extended, three figures exiting the ship. All humanoid in appearance, with one fairly larger than the others, and one that looked nothing like the other two.

The two similar figures wore the armor of the Mandalorians, the new style of the Neo-Crusaders. One wore golden yellow armor, one of the highest ranks in the newly established system. The tallest of the tree and wore dull grey armor, with a red cape and an orange mask. It wasn't hard to tell had the higher authority. These two men were Cassus Fett and Mandalore the Ultimate.

"Is this it?" Cassus asked. He looked at the edge before him and then to other two men with him.

To his left was his leader, orange mask shining dully in the dim light. In front of him was the man that had led them here, wearing a large dark cloak that hid almost all of his features. The only thing that his attire didn't hide was his hands and the lower half of his face, the skin a dark blood red. This man was a pureblood Sith, an emissary to a greater Sith Lord.

"Indeed." Said Sith replied. "This is the tomb of the enemy of my master's ancestor."

"Hm." Mandalore scoffed, crossing his arms. "I thought it be more intimidating. This frozen wasteland hardly seems worth me and my subordinates time."

"What it lacks in regards to outward appearance it well makes up for with perils dwelling within." The Sith warned. "Make no mistake, if you do not take heed, you are liable to die a grim demise." He started walking towards the tomb

Cassus resisted the urge to snort at that. These force users, always so cryptic and dramatic. At least he wouldn't have to listen to this man's ramblings for that long. As soon as they were done with this the better. Pulling his rifle blaster from his back he checked it for ammo then held it down, ready but relaxed.

"Let's do this." Cassus said as he headed after the Sith, followed by Mandalore.

They were on their way when suddenly the Sith spun around yelling an angry cry, glaring at the ship. Fett and Mandalore mimicked his movement, brandishing their weapons to bare. The stopped however when the were met with an unexpected sight. A young human boy with thick black hair, about ten, wearing heavy thick clothing for the climates of the planet. He was twirling the Sith's lightsaber in his small hand, expertly making it dance around his palm and knuckles.

Holstering his weapon Cassus stormed over to the boy. "What are you doing here?" He asked his son harshly.

"I stowed away on the ship and joined you and them." He looked at the other two men standing behind his father. He slightly bowed in respect to Mandalore, who nodded his head in greeting.

"I can see that." Cassus growled. "You shouldn't be here. You should be back home, training with the other children!" he berated.

"I wanted to see you and Lord Mandalore in action. I've never seen either of you fight seriously." He glanced quickly at the Sith. "And I was curious about the Sith Lord." The boy explained, unflinching in the face of his father's anger.

Cassus smacked the boy upside the head, not hard with his gauntlets on, but enough to show his level of disapproval. "We can't take you home right now, so you're going to stay in the ship till we return. I'll see you punished accordingly once we're back on Mandalore. Resistance to orders cannot be allowed to go on without consequence."

The boy hadn't flinched or made a sound when he was hit. Instead he just stood firm, fists clenched at his sides and eyes burning with defiance. Cassus saw this and was about hit him again when Mandalore put a hand on his shoulder.

"Cassus, let the boy come." He said.

"WHAT?!" Cassus and the Sith said in unison.

"No. Absolutely not. He is not experienced enough to be venturing into a place like that, Lord Mandalore." Cassus responded.

"And he will only get in our way." The Sith added.

Mandalore gripped Cassus' shoulder tighter. "This could be a good lesson for him." He looked down to the small boy, imposingly tall to the small child. "If he survives he will gain experience in an actual situation where danger is present around every corner. He will have a greater respect for what he has to look forward to when he enters our ranks and joins the fray."

"And if he dies?" Cassus challenged.

"Then he is of no use." The Sith said. "The weak have no place among the strong."

The boy looked at the Sith, face contorting into a hate filled glare. Yelling he ducked past his father and Mandalore and leaped at the Sith, igniting the lightsaber. The Sith calmly backed away and drew forth another lightsaber, igniting it as well.

Cassus was about to jump in when Mandalore grabbed his arm stopping him. Looking to his leader jr searched for an explanation, but got none. With Mandalore's mask on Cassus couldn't tell what he was thinking, just that he seemed to be watching the Sith and his son's fight. Cassus did the same, not able to do anything else.

The two combatants exchanged attacks, swinging high and low. One would strike and the other would parry, lock blades shortly then their blades would continue to clash. The air was alive with the hum lightsabers being swung and the hiss of one hitting another.

They were the oddest mach of fighters. The Sith was twice the size of the boy, he had more experience, was a master of the lightsaber and could use the Force. The boy was only ten, had never held a lightsaber before, and had no such special power. Anyone might have thought that the boy has doomed from the start, but that was far from the truth.

Even though the Sith was larger and had more strength the boy was fast and agile. With his small stature he had trouble aiming for the Sith's upper body, but in turn the Sith had to keep directing his attacks downward, making most of his attacks predictable. The lightsaber was odd and new in the boy's hand, but he'd had training in swordplay since he was three. He had no great strength, power or experience, but he had an exceptionally sharp mind. That was all he needed, if he could use it right.

The Sith sent his blade at the boy's head, who pinned it down and then sent his blade back up at the Sith's head. The Sith leaned back avoiding the blade, then sent a sweep at the boy's legs. He jumped over the attack and kicked out, feet connecting with the Sith's chest. The Sith stumbled back a step but came back quickly.

The boy blocked a slash to his side, spinning around it and sending the blades up. With his blade up he sent it back down at the Sith's leg. With a twirl of his lightsaber the Sith batted the attack away and kicked the boy in the chest.

Sent flying the boy landed hard on his back. He managed to roll back to his feet before the Sith's lightsaber plunged where he had been a second before. Summoning his lightsaber back to his hand the Sith bound at the boy, saber coming down in a large arc.

He rolled under the Sith, ending up behind him when the Sith landed. When the Sith spun around to bring his lightsaber down on him, he found the the boy facing away from him, lightsaber held in a reverse grip, tip only centimeters from his stomach. There was a moment of heavy silence as no one dared to move. Then it was broken by the boy.

"You said the weak have no place among the strong. Well, I think I've proven that I'm not weak." he looked over his shoulder at the Sith. "So I'd say I'm of some use."

The Sith didn't say anything for a long time, staring at the boy before him, seemingly searching for something. With his head turned, the Sith could only see half his face, and most of it was shrouded in shadows. What the Sith could make out clearly was the hard line of his mouth, and the glow of his eyes. The shone with a sickly golden yellow, radiating with intense malice.

The Sith saw a energy, restlessly swirling deep within the boy. That energy reflected within those eyes. Those hate filled eyes. When the Sith did speak his voice held amusement. "I suppose you do, boy."

The boy couldn't see it, but he thought he could hear a smile behind the Sith's words. He turned off the lightsaber, and the Sith followed his example. When he held out his hand, the boy returned the lightsaber to the Sith. Looking between the lightsaber and the boy, he seemed to be thinking. He turned to Cassus.

"He has never had any previous experience with a lightsaber?" He asked

"No." Cassus answered. "Lightsabers are not something that the Jedi or Sith share with the rest of the galaxy. The closest he's ever had is training with various sword types. But we all know the difference between a metal sword and a lightsaber." the sarcasm was heavy and clear in his voice.

The Sith nodded, knowing that to be all too true. "And, has he ever had any... strange happenings?"

"What?" Cassus had no idea what he was talking about.

"Has anything strange ever happened around him?" The Sith elaborated. "Like has anyone ever given him something when he really wanted it and he wasn't supposed to have it? Or has he ever gotten unusually strong when he was angry?" There was an odd tone to his voice. Not curiosity or mild interest. It was more like hunger. Desire. Obsession.

Cassus thought about what exactly the Sith was implying. When it finally hit him, he instantly was filled with dread.

"No." He said flatly. "Nothing of the sort has ever happened."

The Sith regarded Cassus for a moment, then looked to the boy. Cassus' body was relaxed, but it felt rigid to him. As much as he concentrated he could not calm his thoughts. After a tense moment the Sith shrugged, turning and headed for the tomb.

"Such a shame. The possibilities we might have reached. Such great potential and talent wasted." He muttered.

Finally Cassus relaxed. He shared a glance with Mandalore, who shrugged indifferently. He looked hard at his leader and comrade, trying to gauge what he was feeling. He knew what his old war brother was thinking, just not how he felt about it.

"Are you coming or not?!" the Sith said back to them.

With a final look to his leader, Cassus walked forward to join the Sith, his son and Mandalore close behind.

Cassus never stopped thinking on the words the Sith had said. 'Has he ever gotten unusually strong when he was angry?'

That repeated in his head, again and again. He new knew full well what the Sith was implying, and he knew that the Sith didn't believe his answer. Mandalore had probably also picked up on it, but right now Cassus had yet to know how he felt about it.

When he had answered the Sith, Cassus had told the truth. His son had never had any strange experience like that before. Except for today. When he had charged the Sith, wielding a weapon he'd never even seen before, he had been faster than Cassus had ever seen him move. His attacks were swift, precise, and powerful. He had looked like he'd been training with a lightsaber. Training in the ways of the Force.

The only one of the four of them that probably didn't realize it was Cassus' son. Looking back at the boy he saw his eyes burning with glee. They radiated, almost glowed, with the primitive desire to fight again. He thirsted for the thrill of the heat of battle. To be on the threshold of life and death.

Cassus could admire his drive to fight, to be the greatest warrior he could. But that fire in his eyes. That was a burning hunger that could very well consume him. All Mandalorians felt the enticing pull of the prospect of a fight and facing a challenge. The only difference between most was where they knew when to fight, and when to not. He only hoped his son would be able to know where the battle field ended, and everything else lied ahead.

If all he desired was battle, he'd get it. The only question would be what would that thirst drive him to? What outcome could possibly be worth being that battle hungry? Cassus didn't know, but for his son's sake, he hoped that he wouldn't have to learn it the hard way. He hoped he wouldn't be too late to save himself. After all, eventually there'd be a day then the Mandalorians' legacy of war would have to come to an end, and the next generations might be free from the curse of hate, agony and despair.

* * *

 **Seven years later**

* * *

Emerald eyes look through binoculars, observing their target. They scan over the large towers rising from the large mass square form of the building. It was immense, rivaling some of the largest skyscrapers on Coruscant. The Jedi Temple, the main headquarters and home to the Jedi Order. His target.

Smirking Ares Fett lowered the binoculars. He was beaming with excitement. This would be his greatest mission, and he intended to not only kick some serious Jedi ass, but to also bring back some noteworthy trophies.

"Wow." a voice next to him said. "I haven't seen that look in a while."

Ares looks over to his comrade and brother in arms, Dez Vizsla. Short blond hair on a head adorning a thin angular face with dull blue-grey eyes. His standard blue armor marked him as a common soldier, but he was far from normal in Ares' eyes. With a tall figure and wide frame he was a wall of raw strength and loyal

"I believe the last time I saw it was when you killed your first Jedi... what two? Three years ago?" Another voice said.

Ares laughs. "Five, actually. I beat him with my bare hands, took his lightsaber, and thrust it right into his heart." He closed his eyes and breathed in. "The look of hopelessness as the light left his eyes..." He sighed.

"O~kay. Calm down the murder boner. You won't get any girl like that, let alone getting married." Dez joked.

Ares punched him in the arm, playfully but with some force behind it. "If I was interested in getting a girl I might care, but I'm not. War is my wife, and these-" He pulls out his pistol blasters. "These are my daughters. The perfect family."

Dez laughed, followed by Ares. When they were done the donned a serious tone.

"You ready for this?"

"You mean sneaking with you into the Jedi's most sacred place, breaking into their safe, stealing some of their secret and valuable records, with hundreds of Jedi masters, knights and padawans swarming the place, with no idea if we'll come out alive?" Dez asked, dramatically.

"If you want to make it sound boring." Ares raised a brow, smiling.

Dez returned the smile. "You know I would follow you anywhere."

They nodded in brotherly respect to one another. Putting on their helmets, together they said, "Helmet on, heart gone." The mantra was a tradition they did before a mission. A kind of good luck charm.

Walking over to the edge of the building they were on, they leaped out into the skies of Coruscant's airship roads. After a small angular descent of a few hundred feet their jetpacks powered up and they headed straight for the Jedi Temple.

'Here we come Jedi.' Ares thought. 'Let's see how you tough you are when we know your ideals, teachings, and your darkest secrets.' Under his helmet a malicious grin spread across his face.

'Let's see how the Jedi handle fighting their own teachings. Once this war is over, all the galaxy will see who the greater warriors are!' Under his helmet his grin was close maniacal. 'Long live Mandalore!'

* * *

AN: So that's all I've got for this so far. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Every opinion counts and matters to me, and helps so much to continuing and adding onto this story. Thanks again to everyone and I hope to see you all again next time with, Chapter One: A Legend Begins


	2. A Legend Begins

AN: Hello and welcome to another page of A Legend Remains: Man of Lore. I just wanted to take some time to say thanks first to all those who Favorited, Followed and Reviewed. Thank you all so much.

Special thank goes to 6tailedninja, Roach99, and Jcarroll49. All of your reviews have been read, and I thank you for them greatly.

6tailedninja: Yes, he has no idea what he's in for. But he'll soon find out.

Roach99: Thank you for you kind words. Small things like that help me keep on writing, even if sometimes I second guess and doubt what do.

Jcarroll49: Thanks for recommending the Republic Commando Novels. I appreciate the lead for more insight and info on this stories' subject matter. Unfortunately I don't have the means to get them yet, but I'm still grateful for the support and advice.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Star Wars.**

With that out of the way, get on to reading and enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter One: A Legend Begins**

* * *

 _"We are born to die. We live to be remembered." -Mandalorian Proverb_

* * *

 **(Outside the Jedi Temple)**

Ares landed softly on the top of the steps leading to the temple. Strutting down the walkway towards the front entrance he prepared for combat, loosely holding his hands by his sides. He reached the statues of Jedi near the entrance, seeing guards up ahead. They spotted him and headed towards him. Under his helmet Ares smiled. The fun was about to start.

A small squad of eight guards came up to him, blasters held at the ready. "Halt! That's far enough, Mandalorian!" One of them ordered.

Ares stopped his advance.

"State your name and purpose." The same one said.

Ares raised his hands above his head, nothing inside them, a sign of peace. But his words held anything but peace. "I am Ares Fett, and I come to raid the Jedi Temple."

The group laughed, though it was hollow. "All on your own? Unless you have some army in your armor, just how do you plan to do that tough guy?" The seemingly leader asked.

With a confident and amused tone Ares said, "I'll show you."

Suddenly a blaster bolt shot one of them in the head. The group looked to their fallen comrade, and failed to notice Ares drawing one of his blasters before it was too late. Walking with haste Ares shot two guards in the throats, killing them instantly. The rest turned to face him but he was right in front of them.

He grabbed one of their blasters and pointed it down as he hit the man in the face with his elbow. Then he ducked under the mans' blaster arm and got behind him, holding onto his arm and using him as a shield.

He advanced with his human shield as he blasted one guard in the chest,one in the head, and one in the stomach. The first two died instantly, while the third fell to his knees, dropping his blaster and holding his wound.

Ares put his blaster away, and changed his grip on the guard he was holding. With both hands wrapped around his head, Ares sharply pulled and twisted, snapping his neck. He had killed six of the eight within the span of ten seconds, before any of them could get a shot out. Quick, brutal, and effective.

Letting the guard's body fall, Ares headed over to the guard with the shot in his stomach. The man looked up, fear shining in his eyes. Ares grabbed him by the face, lifting him up with one hand.

"Tell me, have you heard of a special weapon of us Mandalorians, called the Crushgaunt?" Ares asked

When the man's eyes widened in recognition and fear, Ares just chuckled.

"Good. Then you know how it's made of Beskar, or Mandalorian iron to outsiders." Ares stopped to increase his grip on the man's face. "And you know how they got their name. Crushgaunts are infamous for their ability to increase the grip in the wielder. This allows the wearer to crush bones with little to no effort. Though not one of it's most notable feats, they are known for crushing skulls."

Ares just allowed a second for that to sink in before he crushed the man's skull. Dropping him Ares walked past the fresh mutilated corpse, As he walked Dez flew down from a landing on the temple and landed next to him, quickly matching his pace.

"Nice work, Ares." he said.

"It was nothing. Though what might have made it better would have been you not shooting the first guy." Ares commented. "And remember, we're in the field. You address me as Captain or Sir."

"The second you moved they would have been filling this place full of blaster fire. You could have been taken out before you even get close to reaching dueling distance of them. If I hadn't caused that distraction you could have died."

"True, and I appreciate your thinking of me, but I'm wearing Beskar armor." Ares said, pounding a fist against his red breastplate. "I would have been just fine even if they had managed to get in a lucky shot or two. I could have handled that completely on my own."

"Just because you have fancy armor and weapons doesn't mean you're the best warrior Mandalore has to offer. You're not invincible, Ares, Sir." Dez said, disapproval in his voice.

Ares continued to walk as he glanced back at his life time friend. "No, I'm not. But you of all people should know that I have these 'fancy armor and weapons' because I am one of the best. I earned this equipment, just as all of the other commando captains did."

Dez snorted, clearly not happy of being reminded of that fact. His friend was one of the youngest recorded Mandalorians to reach the rank of commando captain. It sometimes went to the others head, leading him to be arrogant, if not a bit vain.

"Enough arguing. We have a raid to properly start, then finish." Ares got serious. "Did you find the vault?"

"Yes. It's down in the outer reaches of the Archives, beyond the Second and Fourth halls." Dez reported.

"Good. Give me the schematics of the temple and I'll raid the vault. You set up our little gift for the Jedi."

"I thought you'd kill for the chance to kill as many Jedi as you could?" Dez was confused, sending the data to Ares.

"Even I have some sense of patience." Ares was amused. "Trust me, when I next face the Jedi, I will not only overpower them, but take away what power they have."

Ares stopped them in front of the doors and put his hand on Dez's shoulder. "Dinuir di'kutla jetti harran." he said, which loosely translated to 'Give those worthless Jedi hell.'

Dez nodded, and headed inside the temple. Ares activated his jetpack and launched up, reaching a landing near the top of the South Tower. After opening a vent hatch, he entered the temple undetected.

* * *

 **(Inside the Jedi Temple entrance)**

Dez entered the Jedi temple. He walked for a good minute or two before he saw the first Jedi. They looked down from ramparts, atop grand stairs, and some even coming out of hallways on the floor he was on. Soon they started to converge, brown cloaked and armored individuals surrounding him and blocking his way. They reached around thirty in total, and more were becoming privy to the intrusion and were joining. Some had already drawn and ignited their lightsabers.

"That is as far as you go, Mandalorian." one said, taking the lead.

"That's funny. I do believe the guards out front said something similar. Before they died of course." Dez said innocently, doing his best Ares impersonation. "I wonder if you'll share their fate."

"You talk big for a guy who only has one other warrior with him." A random younger Jedi said. "I'd say you're almost as arrogant as a you are bold, but that wouldn't be saying much, now would it?"

"Oh, I am indeed arrogant, as well as bold. But I have good reason to be." Dez said. "But... When did I ever say it was just me here?"

It was then that the sound of a star ships' engine could be heard. The Jedi behind Ares and Dez, and Ares reveled in the look on their faces. Soon a cruiser ship crashed through the front doors of the temple, traveling through the first few hundred meters into the temple itself. As it came through it rammed into and destroyed several pillars, leaving rubble and debris in its wake.

It came to a screeching halt just meters away Dez. He never moved an inch, not glancing back. The hatch opened and a platoon of fifty fully armed Mandalorians ran out, roaring battle cries. Dez drew his Beskad and a blaster, roaring as he led the charge.

"For Mandalore!"

* * *

 **(Within the Jedi Temple)**

Ares sneaked through the halls of the temple, following the schematics Dez had given him. Getting through the ventilation had been a cinch, now he had to be careful not encounter anyone. If he was discovered the plan would be compromised. There was always the option of killing any witnesses, but if anyone happened upon the bodies then there would be a higher risk of being found out. For the plan to work the best would for the attack at the first front to keep all of the Jedi's attention.

Peeking around a corner he found a pair of guards at the entrance of the library, the connecting point to the archives. Ares was not pleased. They should have joined the fray at the front. Either the conflict wasn't as apparent this deep in the temple, or they had special orders to stay here.

Either way they presented an obstacle. And Ares hated obstacles.

Resigning himself to risk exposure, he pulled out a smoke grenade, and tossed it over to the guards. It sprayed thick gray smoke, effectively blinding the guards who cried out in shock. In their confusion Ares ran through the cover of the smoke and passed both guards, entering the library without them being the wiser. Seemed he'd have to leave a few bodies out in plain view, but if he hurried he'd be done by the time anyone found them.

Ares hastily walked through the large room, past shelves holding countless documents and desks with computers. Soon he came before the face of the vaults' safe. It was huge taking up most of the wall, guarded behind a by a set of two dilating security doors. The large locks took up most of the center of it. It was a Force-activated lock, but he had known that and had come prepared.

He pulled out a small sphere from his belt, and held it before the lock. It activated, tiny arms extending from its round surface, and it hovered in front of the lock. It entered the lock, and started working its magic. It was a specially designed lock pick, meant only for Force-activated locks. Useless for anything else, but handy just for this kind of occasion. Knowing it was going to be a while, Ares left the vault door and went to setting up traps. After a few minutes of placing and rigging detonators, Ares returned to the vault.

It seemed to him like the lock was just about to be opened when he heard something. Dashing to the side he took cover behind a shelf. Just as he was safely out of sight the doors to the library opened.

"...I'm telling you, Lorek! There must be an intruder in here!" A female voice said.

"Why would an intruder come to the library, Myri? Plus, the attack is at the front! We should be over there, helping the others!" A male voice argued.

They sounded young, maybe in their late teens, like Ares, though Lorek sounded a bit older. The sound of foot two foot steps let Ares know there was the only two of them. At least that make this easy to handle. He glanced through a space between holodisks, sizing up his adversaries.

The male was a human who looked to be about two or three years older than Ares. Light pale skin, straight short dark brown hair and electric blue eyes. His form was built like it was chiseled from stone, tall with broad shoulders, and he held himself like a warrior. He seemed the more direct, single minded type. He'd rush headlong into battle with strong powerful attacks meant to overpower enemies with few strikes, hardly relying on defense, burning out his energy quickly. He'd be easy enough to defeat with his predictability.

The girl was also human, closer to Ares age, but her features were more exotic. Her skin was tan, long and curly orange hair and golden hazel eyes. Her slim curvy form was lightly built, and she held herself like a dancer. She seemed more open minded, allowing more diversity. She'd cautiously go into battle, observing her enemy to find weak points and attack at the best moments, relying on both offence and defense, lasting longer in a fight. She wouldn't be as easy to defeat with all her options.

They both wore robes of the Jedi, most likely padawans. There was no way either of them were knights or masters. Even so, Ares was not liking how they stacked up. Either of them alone would have been fine to face, but with the both of them he wasn't so sure. The girl was to much of a wild card for his liking. His inner strategist told him if he wanted to not be forced to retreat, he'd have to defeat her first, or not engage them at all.

At the same time, part of him wanted to stay hidden and finish the mission, but another part wanted to fight them so bad. It took everything inside him to stay under cover. His inner warrior called for blood, but it'd have to wait. His blood was boiling with the turmoil, body close to trembling.

"I don't know why an intruder would come here, but you saw the guards!" Myri insisted. "Why would they bother to kill two guards so far away from the fight?"

"To thin out our numbers! I don't know!" Lorek said exasperated. After a sigh he said. "Look, if there is an intruder deep in the temple, then they must be a diversion meant to throw us off guard and keep us paranoid. We should focus on the bigger issue first, then handle the one problem."

Ares smiled. Though this Lorek guy was wrong, he seemed to be the older and of the two and held the higher authority. If he could convince his younger comrade to leave, then Ares would be able to continue without much more indecent.

"I just sense... that this is where something will happen." Myri said.

"I don't sense anything. Maybe your mind is clouded, leading you astray?"

"I don't know what it is, Lorek. It's hard to pinpoint, but I can feel it's close! It's just... illusive."

"I'm certain you are just mistaken." Lorek disregarded her worries. "Come on. The masters need us."

Ares heard Myri sigh and then the sound of their footsteps receding. He allowed himself to relax. 'Finally. I can return to-"

His thoughts were cut off when the distinct and loud sound of the lock clicking in place rang out. Hollowed by a hiss, the vault door opened with a yawning groan.

"What was that!?" Lorek exclaimed.

"Look! The vault is open! It wasn't just a second ago!" Myri said.

Ares sighed. This was going to take longer than he wanted, but at least his hunger for battle might be sated for a while. Drawing his blasters, Ares got up and rounded the shelf.

"Looking for me Jedi?" He said, aiming his blasters.

* * *

 **(With Myri)**

Myri looked at the Mandalorian soldier standing before her. The armor unmistakable; from the helmet with with the T shaped visor, to the jetpack, it wasn't hard to guess just what they were. Judging by the their height and model of the armor, this was a young man. But what surprised her most was the color of his armor. Red, speckled with a few golden highlights. She didn't know where the gold came from, but red was the color of a captain.

'What is a Mandalorian captain doing this far inside the temple all alone? Where's his squad?' She thought.

Lorek was quicker to recover from his shock, drawing his lightsaber and igniting the blue blade. "Surrender!" He yelled.

"Not on your life, Jedi." The Mandalorian said, firing at them.

Myri dived to the side, rolling and regaining her feet, drawing her own lightsaber. With a flourish, she extended the collapsible hilt and ignited both yellow blades. She ran back to Lorek's side, joining him once more. The Mandalorian continued to fire as he backed up, moving towards the vault.

'He's trying to enter the vault!' Myri thought, alarmed.

Not wanting him to do whatever he had planned, she ran at him, twirling her saber to deflect his shots. He put a blaster away and pulled out a small hand held detonator. She say this and tried to back away, but when his finger found the trigger it was too late.

Myri was sent back with a violent wave of energy as a concealed bomb exploded in front of her. Luckily she had had enough sense to erect a Force shield around herself, cushioning the damage of the blast. She was caught by Lorek, who steadied her and helped her back to her feet.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, just give me a second till the ringing in my ears stops." She responded.

Myri looked back over to the vault, door open but the Mandalorian was nowhere to be seen.

"We have to hurry. Who knows what he's after in there."

Lorek nodded and they ran for the vault. Once they entered the main chamber of the vault, the looked around. It was a small circular room, branching off into four different hallways that lead to the vaults themselves. After looking between the four paths, Lorek spoke.

"How do we know which one he went down?"

Myri furrowed her brow. She reached out with the Force, but felt nothing. She let out a defeated sigh.

"I can't tell." she looked at him. "We have to split up, cover more ground and find him faster."

"Okay. But when you find him, don't engage. Find me first and we'll take on him together."

"Same to you."

He nodded and they separated, Lorek going into the first vault and Myri into the third.

'I pray we find and stop him before he does some serious damage. Who knows what he might do if he gets his hands on one of the artifacts?'

* * *

 **(Jedi Temple Front Entrance)**

Dez pulled his Beskad out of the Jedi's heart, shoving the body away with his foot at another Jedi to trip them up. As he clashed his blade with another Jedi's lightsaber, he felt a chill run down his spine. Quickly headbutting the Jedi and blasting him in the neck Dez left the immediate battle ground. He looked around, searching for the source of his sudden unease.

Soon he found two figures walking across the upper terrace. They wore black cloaks, hiding their features. They did not seem to be aware of the battle going on below them, or if they did they ignored it. Looking at them made that feeling of dread in Dez rise.

There was something not right with those two. Judging by their cloaks they weren't Jedi, but then what were they? Dez had an idea, but he didn't like it. Then he noticed which way they were heading, towards where Ares and the library was. That could just be a coincidence but Dez had learned never to believe in such things.

'I've got a bad feeling about this.' Dez thought as he rushed to follow them.

* * *

 **(Inside the Jedi Vaults)**

Pressing a button on one of them, a blade came to life with an angry hiss. This blade was thin, and curved to a point, and black. The space around it seemed to grow darker when it was ignited, as if it was sucking all the light away. Under his helmet Ares' wide smile was close to being obscene. With a chuckle he waved the blade around, listening to its hum when it passed through the air. This was the infamous Darksaber.

Very pleased he clipped his two trophies to his belt and decided it was about time to leave. He needed to go now, and the sooner he left the better. It wasn't safe here, not with those two Jedi running around, plus there was no reason to stay anymore. He had what he came for.

He started to leave when he stopped suddenly. He tilted his head, listening carefully. A second ago he had thought he heard something. A sound other than the sounds he was making. It was another disturbance in this dusty archive other than him. He didn't like that one bit.

'The Jedi?' he thought. 'I didn't think they'd find me so soon. Well that's too bad for them, guess I'll just have to give them a taste of my new toys.'

He drew one of his newly acquired darksabers and activated the sensors in his helmet. Heading towards where he thought the sound was coming from, he slowly stepped around shelves. He was beyond careful to avoid disturbing anything that might give away his position. If he was going to play at being stealthy it'd be stupid to not try to be as cautious as possible.

Soon the sound became louder. Clearer by the smallest increment. Ares was able to discern that it was a voice, though what it was saying he couldn't make out just yet. As he continued to listen, he made note of a few things.

One; there was more than two, so that meant either the Jedi had back up or this was someone else entirely. He could hear them overlapping, each voice distinct and no two were alike. Two; the voices also had a distinct tone. There was a level of urgency, edging towards desperation. And tree; no matter how much he advanced it seemed that it never got any closer. Sure, the sound increased bit by bit, but it felt as if he was chasing something far away.

Now Ares' was not one to be spooked by many things, but something about these voices unnerved him. Suddenly they became louder, sounding dangerously close. Ares spun in a circle, darksaber ignited and poised strike, but there was no one. He was all alone, except for the voices and the hum of his saber. A bit on edge he kept the darksaber on, drawing and igniting the other, continuing on towards the voices.

He came around a corner and raised his sabers, but lowered them almost immediately. What he found confused him greatly. In front of him was just a small circular chamber of stone. The voices had gone silent the second he came around the corner, pitching the area into an oppressive silence. The air and wind themselves seemed to have hushed, as if they were afraid. Frowning under his helmet Ares entered the chamber, saber raised and at the ready.

In the center of the chamber was a pedestal. On it was a small object that looked like two connected pyramids. Intrigued, Ares turned off one of the darksabers and put it away. With his free hand he reached out and picked up the small object. It was smaller than a holocron and fit easily in his palm. As it came away from its perch he found it had a small chain attached to it. It seemed to act like a necklace, making the object a kind of amulet.

Inspecting it closer, Ares found intricate symbols carved into each of the gray sides. For some reason, Ares felt calm and focused looking at this strange thing. It felt as if his mind was clear of all distractions and his senses were highly attuned. That is what led him to turn around and block an oncoming lightsaber.

Ares looked into the face of a girl. Not the Jedi from before, this girl was older near reaching the prime age of womanhood. That'd make her older than him. With pale skin, bright yellow eyes and black hair, she wore black robes. Her lightsaber was red, causing Ares to instantly recognized her as a Sith, and pushed her back with his blade.

"I thought I'd live to never see Sith in my lifetime." Ares stated. "Guess I was wrong."

"Indeed, Mandalorian." She said, smiling.

"So, what brings a Sith to the Jedi Temple?" he pointed his darksaber at her.

"Same as you. We wish to obtain knowledge and power."

"What do you mean by, 'We?' "

"She means her and I." A guy said as he stepped next to the woman.

He was shorter than her, younger and closer to Ares' age. Also wearing black robes with black hair and yellow eyes, but with black tattoos around his eyes. Looking between the two Ares assumed that that they were both apprentices. Neither of them quite held that level of power Ares had felt from the Sith master he fought all those years ago.

"Who are you?" Ares asked.

"I am Darth Vile and this is my fellow apprentice Darth Ruin." She introduced. "Now, if you would be so kind as to give us the artifact, we'd be ever so pleased."

"I'm not giving you this. I worked too hard to give it up now." Ares clutched the amulet and the darksaber. "If you want it you'll have to take it from my cold dead hands."

They both smiled. "As you wish." Vile said before they both walked towards him, lightsabers raised.

It was then that the room was filled with smoke and pitched into darkness.

"Ares! Get out of there!" It was Dez.

Ares was protected from the gas by his helmet, and so dived past the Sith, exiting the chamber. Ares found Dez just outside waiting for him.

"Let's go!" Ares said and they ran for the exit.

As they weaved through the small passage ways they could hear the Sith pursuing them, quickly gaining on them. They managed to reach the entrance of the vault when they stopped. The two Jedi were blocking the way, lightsabers drawn.

"Surrender!" Lorek shouted.

Ares looked back to see the Sith closing in on them. They were pinned on two fronts, with no way out, effectively trapped. Oddly enough, Ares had a strange sense of calm. With a confidence he'd shown during many of his fights, he handed Dez the darksaber he had.

"Here. This'll help."

"What about you?"

"I've got my own." He pulled out the other. "Now, on my mark, toss another smoke grenade at the Jedi."

"What will-?"

"Just do it!"

Dez did as instructed, grabbing a smoke grenade.

"NOW!"

 **(Insert SW: E1 OST - Duel of the Fates)**

Before Dez could throw the grenade the Jedi advanced, forcing him to drop it and defend himself. Ares cursed and turned to face the Sith, engaging sabers. Ares managed to push them back for a second, putting the amulet in his belt and drawing his Beskad just as the Sith came for another bout.

Ares was holding his own fairly well, but he could tell by the sound of Dez's grunts that he was having trouble. Dez had been fighting longer back at the assault back at the front, while Ares had been saving his energy encountering fewer enemies. He was over matched and outclassed.

Ares fought harder with a furious onslaught, pushing the Sith back. He disarmed Ruin and kicked him in the chest, sending him back. After locking blades with Vile he headbutted her dazing her, and then proceeded to jab a elbow into her throat, sending her to the ground gasping.

Ares turned to see Dez being disarmed, darksaber sliding out of reach, and sent onto his back. Ares charged, discarding his Beskad and taking up the other darksaber. He collided first with the boy, deflecting his powerful strikes. He caught the saber between his two and sent them up, planting a kick squarely on Lorek's knee. With a cry Lorek fell to his knees and dropped his saber.

Ares was about to decapitate him when he was shoved back by a Force push from Myri. Ares regained his footing, only to feel the amulet being levitated out of his belt. He dropped a darksaber and grabbed on to it. The Sith were up, clearly hurt, but they focused on using the Force to pull the amulet towards them.

Ares could feel the pull of the Force on the amulet, dragging him as well. But at the same time he felt strong, like as much as he was being pulled towards them he was pulling back too. He looked at said amulet in his clenched hand and saw it was glowing red. It was then he was aware of how it felt like energy was flowing through him, filling every fiber in his being. It was overwhelming, clouding his mind.

Then he felt the amulet being tugged the other way. Looking over Ares saw the Jedi doing the same as the Sith, focusing on using the Force to pull the amulet towards them. He looked back at the amulet and it was now glowing blue, and Ares was even more aware of the energy in him. But as before the energy was overwhelming him, now he could focus on it.

He looked between the Sith and Jedi, and how he was directly in between them. He looked at the amulet for another time and found it now glowing purple. He had a clarity of mind, and a surging strength, and it seemed to be because of this amulet. Ares didn't have long to contemplate on this as a voice boomed in his head.

 _'Ashla?'_ It seemed to be asking something. Ares wasn't sure, but the volume it held made it hard to think.

"What?" He asked. He didn't know what it was asking.

 _'Bogan?'_ Again it's booming voice intruded his thoughts.

"I don't-" He tried to think.

 _'Bendu?'_

The voice was too much. Ares yelled, roaring his frustration. In his wrathful haze, he was unaware of the amulet glowing incredibly bright. He noticed when the ground under him started trembling. He looked around to see the Jedi and Sith were closer now, almost within touching distance. They seemed as if they were being pushed back by something but they were fighting it, trying to get to him.

Ares looked over to see Dez getting up, and him seeing Ares' predicament. Dez started to head for him, but Ares held a hand out to him, ordering him to stop. He found the darksaber he had dropped and kicked it to Dez.

"Retreat and take that back to Mandalore!" Ares ordered. "Use it to slay Jedi, passing it down through the generations!"

"But Ares-!"

"That's an order!" Ares' voice held no room for argument.

Dez reluctantly nodded, grabbing the darksaber and running out the vault door. Glad he'd at least Dez would make it out alive, Ares looked at the Jedi and Sith around him.

"You want this artifact so bad!" He put his other hand around the amulet, still holding the other darksaber. "Here! Have it!"

Somehow, for some reason he did not know, he felt the energy inside him grow, then surge into the amulet. A blinding light that engulfed, Ares, the Jedi, and the Sith. Once the light had diminished, it revealed that the five of them were gone. Nowhere to be seen anywhere within the vaults. They had vanished without a trace.

* * *

AN: I feel it was a bit more wordy than I intended, but it's fine to me.

First week up, two pages done, 8,667 words typed in total; and already the story has 3 reviews, 8 favorites, and 10 followers. Wow ,that's... a bit hard to wrap my head around. Thank you all so much.

I will try to put up new chapters every week on Tuesday, but no promises. If not, then I will try to get them up at the earliest convenience after Tuesday. And also most chapters might start looking close to this long as well. Maybe not, but only time will tell.

Enough of my long author notes. But as always, please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Every opinion counts and matters to me, and helps so much to continuing and adding to the story. Thanks again to everyone and I hope to see you all again next time with, Chapter Two: Many Arrivals.


	3. Many Arrivals

AN: Okay, so we're at chapter two now. Nice, so far so good. So first a quick segment dedicated to Special Thanks for those who when out of their way to Review.

IWhackRabbits: I look forward to seeing more chapters too. Writing is a fun and engaging activity for me, and I enjoy every second I write, re-write, and revise. It's an adventure that I love to experience, and to love share with others. Thank you.

Roach99: Well, I will definitely try my best to make this as good a story as I can. I actually wasn't sure what to name Ares for a long time. I was torn between colors and names that were anagrams that alluded to premonitions and story themes. As for the amulet, that is a surprise that isn't so surprising anyone can guess once they've read this chapter.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Star Wars.**

With that out of the way, get on to reading and enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Many Arrivals**

* * *

 _"When you find yourself surrounded by those who don't know or care who you are, comfort yourself knowing that you are part of something far greater and more powerful than they will ever have the privilege of knowing." - Mandalore the Ultimate_

* * *

 **(Unknown Space)**

Ares was only aware of a feeling of being weightless. He couldn't hear anything, nor see or smell anything. There was an absolute nothingness all around him. It was as if he had been swallowed by the void itself, floating within it's endless depths.

'Am I dead?' He wondered. 'Is this what death is like?'

But that can't be right, he could still feel his body, even if he couldn't see it. He could feel his suit and armor over his skin, and he could feel the objects within his hands. In his left hand was the Darksaber, and in his right hand was the-

The amulet!

Suddenly Ares was able to see, and then some. Images were flashing before his eyes, flashing to fast to process all of them but he caught a few. Planets, galaxies, people, monsters, and more. He felt as if his head was being attacked, filling and emptying information simultaneously. Along with the images emotions came with them. Serenity, grief, joy, betrayal, malice, hate, envy, excitement, fear. Those and more, one after the other in rapid succession, almost bluing together.

Then came the motion and sensations. The earlier weightlessness he'd felt was gone, replaced with an assault on his body. He felt as if he was running, falling, drowning, burning, spinning, pushed and pulled, all at the same time. With all of his senses being invaded like this, with what little part of his mind that wasn't in pain, he wondered when or if it would stop. He wanted it to stop so bad.

Almost as soon as he thought it, all the multiple experiences halted abruptly. It was like someone had flipped a switch, making it all just end. With his senses finally no longer being overloaded by the onslaught of information he was able to focus. He looked down into his hand holding the amulet, seeing purple light dimly emanating from it, fluttering every so often. As Ares watched, it seemed that the fluttering light seemed to have rhythm. It was almost like a... a heartbeat.

Was it-?

Ares was pulled from his thoughts when he suddenly felt like he was moving again. It was like he was being pulled forward, air rushing past him and pushing against him, though unnaturally silent. Ares realized that the amulet was the thing pulling him, dragging him along for a rough ride. After countless sharp dives, steep rises and jagged turns Ares finally leveled out.

He wasn't going as fast now, but he was still at a considerable speed that was uncomfortable. Then he saw a small light. At first he thought was just small, then as it started growing bigger he realized it was just small in perspective. He was heading straight for that light. It blazed towards him, and vise versa, and before he knew it he was engulfed in light.

The next thing he knew was that he was falling, then shortly after he hit ground and sent was rolling. When he finally came to a halt, he just lay there on his back. He took his time to allow his head to stop spinning. When the water in his ears finally settled he grunted as he rolled over, pushing himself up to his hands and knees. His body ached to the bone and his muscles felt stiff. After a few failed attempts, he forced himself to one knee and looked around.

Ares found the Darksaber and the amulet resting near him. He put the amulet in his pocket and clipped the Darksaber to his jetpack, then surveyed his surroundings. He found himself in the middle of a dirt road, in what appeared to be a village. The small huts and cottages made out of mud bricks and carved stone. The primitive architecture and building material instantly let him know he was nowhere on Coruscant.

The question was, just where was he?

Ares got to his feet and took a more careful look at his surroundings. From what he could see was farmland, large pastures and orchards spanning around these houses. Peeking out of doorways and windows of said were people, humans, dressed in rag-like robes. Their dirty, sun burnt faces, with wrinkles etched from hours of hard labor.

There was no sign of any kind of technology, which is what worried Ares. Many planets and systems had alien races that held onto their more primitive life styles, staying true to their old traditions, but even they had technology for farming, transportation, and long range communication.

Another thing that worried him was how they looked at him. They stared, eyes filled with a mixture of fear and awe, as if they'd never seen anything like him. Wearing his advanced armor, he could only guess what they thought of him. These people looked like they'd never seen armor, let a spacecraft for that matter.

That led Ares to believe he was on a remote planet, somewhere on the unexplored edges of the Outer Rim. This was a more primitive planet, untouched by other star systems and the Galactic Senate. Now the question was, where was he, and how did he get here all the way from Coruscant?

Ares looked down when he felt a tug on his cape. Holding onto his cape was a small girl, about six. She stared at him, wide eyes full of curiosity. She wasn't afraid like the rest of the people hiding. What Ares found interesting was the color of her eyes, silver. Not many alien races had such a eye color.

She pulled his cape again, seeming to want him to come down. Not sure what else to do, Ares crouched down and became level with the girl.

"Are you a god?" she asked.

He was surprised, more from being able to understand her rather than her strange question. Hearing her speak galactic basic was the last thing he expected. So this planet wasn't as primitive as he'd first thought.

Seeing she was still staring at him, expecting some answer, Ares cleared his throat.

"Uh… no. No, I am definitely not a god." Ares answered, chuckling a bit.

She then placed her little hands on his helmet, feeling the smooth cool metal. Her face held a look of concentration, as if she was looking for something. She put her hands on either side of his helmet and looked right into his visor.

Ares glanced around, seeing people tensely watching. It was like they expected him to hurt the girl or something. He saw one woman in particular, holding a staff with a green spear head, her face painted with worry. She was most likely the girl's mother. She shared her daughter's strange silver eyes, but what gained Ares interest was how she was standing and that she held that spear like she knew how to use it.

"Where's your face then?" the girl finally asked in that way that small children do.

"It's under my helmet." He answered, pointing to said armor piece.

"Can I see?"

Ares shifted uncomfortably. He glanced to the mother then back to the girl.

"You know, I believe your mother is worried about you." he pointed to the woman. "I think you should go to her."

"But I wanna see!" She complained.

Before Ares could try to persuade her, the sound of running feet caused Ares to look over his shoulder. A large group of men and women approaching him, dressed robes and bits of armor pieces, wielding spears, swords and shields. They surrounded him and the girl, pointing their weapons threateningly.

Ares re-thought his conclusion that they'd never seen armor, cause clearly they were at least advanced enough for metal-smithing. Maybe it was how his armor was designed or how well made it looked. Or maybe it was-

"Asimi!" one of the men said. "Go to your mother!"

"But papa!" She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Ares was a battled hardened warrior, but not even he was a fan of seeing children cry, plus it seemed she was the only reason he wasn't run through right now. With a sigh, he decided to try to solve this peacefully. If these people saw him as a threat they'd more than likely attack him in the name of self defense. Perhaps if he showed that he meant no harm they'd relax a bit.

Ares hoped that would be the case, cause he wasn't exactly sure he'd be up for a fight. Not against so many opponents, especially after however he had been sent here. He was still incredibly sore all over, and would rather not find or gain any new injuries in the midst of battle.

"How about this?" He spoke in a diplomatic voice. "I you show my face, and them you go over to your mother. Does that sound like a fair deal?" Held out his hand.

"Yes!" She answered without hesitation, shaking his hand enthusiastically.

"Okay, it's a deal then."

He put his hands on his helmet and pulled it off. He allowed his head to loll back, looking up. The blue sky with only a few clouds floating overhead. He basked in the warm rays the sun was offering his face. Then he looked down at her, who was waiting expectantly.

Emerald met silver, both searching the other curiously. Then she smiled happily, pleased for whatever reason. Ares smiled back, assuming that she was content.

"Okay, now go to your mother. She's been waiting very patiently for you."

"Okay!" She chirped, skipping past the men and over to her mother.

Ares looked to the armed people around him, still standing rigidly and holding their weapons at the ready. So, seems he'd need more than that to convince them.

"So, I assume I'm not welcome?" he asked.

It seemed one of them was going to say something when two people landed in the circle of warriors with Ares. The circling warriors stepped back in shock, but Ares stood his ground, stiff with recognition. He was met with the sight of none other than the two Jedi, Lorek and Myri.

"Oh, son of a..." Ares cursed under his breath. It seemed whatever had gotten him here had also brought the Jedi.

"More intruders!" One of the warriors exclaimed. They all started brandishing their weapons.

"We mean no harm." Myri said, raising her hands. Then she pointed at Ares. "We are only here to take the Mandalorian into custody."

"On what charges?" the same warrior asked.

"He has stolen dangerous items, intruded on sacred ground, and killed countless innocent lives." Lorek counted off.

"I admit to stealing from you and I admit to invading your temple. But I will never admit to killing innocent lives!" Ares sneered at them. "You and I are on different ends of a war. That's the whole point of war, you kill your enemies till they surrender or till they're all gone. I have killed no more 'innocent lives' than your great order has in your quest for 'galactic wide peace.'"

"Do not act like you are not in the one in the wrong, Mandalorian!" Lorek yelled. "You will face judgment for your actions and be brought to justice!"

Before Ares could argue further suddenly a roar split the air. Ares turned to see a horde of beasts with black fur and white bone like armor stampeding towards the village.

"Grimm!" someone yelled.

The villagers erupted into a panic; people running out of houses, parents clutching children and people putting on armor and grabbing weapons. Ares had no idea what was happening or what those beasts were, but clearly it was more important to the people than the newcomers that they had been so worried about previously.

To be honest, to a point, Ares didn't care much about these people. He didn't know them and owed them nothing, no care for their safety nor any sympathy for their strife. But at the same time he had to admire their willingness to defend themselves from anything they saw as a threat. They were just trying to fight for what they loved and held dear. They held the spirits of true warriors in his eyes, so that made them worth helping.

He knew the Jedi wouldn't just stand by and let these people fend for themselves. Especially not when they could do something to help. So he did the last thing he thought he'd ever do. Groaning he put on his helmet, and yelled to Lorek and Myri.

"Jedi!" He gained their attention. "These people are in clear danger from the threat these monsters pose. So, if you don't want the death of innocent lives on your heads you'll help me help them handle those monsters."

The two young Jedi shared a look, then looked back at Ares.

"How do we know you won't just run off the first chance you get?" Lorek accused.

"Are you implying you're scared to face these beasts alone?" Ares mocked as he grabbed his Darksaber. "Well, I for one believe they won't be a match for me. Plus, I need to work off my sores. I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

 **(Insert Bulletproof-12 Stones)**

Without giving them a chance to answer, he ignited the black blade and charged at the oncoming horde. With the Darksaber he was able to slice through flesh and bone-like armor with ease. He had slain about ten of them before the rest started wising up. They kept their distance of him, wary of the strange black blade. Only when the boldest decided to charge him again did he cut more down, causing them to retreat again.

Ares didn't allow them to recover and regroup again though. He activated his gauntlets' flamethrowers, sending a volley of fire that sent them wildly scrambling. Drawing one of his blasters he picked off any that were out of range of his Darksaber's blade. It was incredibly easy considering just how advanced his weapons were compared to their primitive hides. Ares wondered why he was so sure he wasn't up to fight earlier, he seemed to be just fine now.

He caught sight of the Jedi cutting down the beasts with their lightsabers, keeping them away from any unarmed villagers. They made a show of waving their lightsabers in fancy patterns and of pushing beasts back with the Force. Ares guessed it was for the villagers, to inspire hope and show them that they were being kept safe.

'Typical.' Ares thought. 'They just love painting themselves as the heroes don't they?'

He continued to kill the monsters when he the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He dove to the side just in time to avoid a bolt of lightning. Ares sprang to his feet and turned to see Darth Vile and Darth Ruin, standing just a few feet away. It seemed the Jedi weren't the only one's dragged along with him.

"Oh come on!" Ares almost wined.

Ruin chuckled, stepping towards him, waving his lightsaber tauntingly.

"Thought you could get away, Mandalorian?" He asked. "Well guess again. You can't escape us that easily!"

The Sith just calmly continued to advance towards Ares. He looked around, seeing plenty of 'Grimm' still attacking the village. The Sith didn't care about these people, and would be more than happy to kill every single one of them if they wanted to. They'd add to the chaos these Grimm were causing. The Jedi were too busy to notice the Sith's presence, so he was on his own.

"This just keeps getting better and better." Ares growled.

He charged at the Sith, brandishing his Darksaber in one hand. He clashed blades with Vile first, parrying both her slashes at his arms and her thrusts at his chest. When she pushed him back with the Force he spun around to block a overhead strike from Ruin.

Ares had his blaster in his other hand which he used to shoot Ruin in the arm. As Ruin backed away, Ares used a small boost from his jetpack to send him up a bit in the air. He proceeded to kick Ruin in the face, sending him flying before he landed onto his back.

No sooner had Ares handed that Ares had to duck Vile's lightsaber, avoiding being decapitated. He crouched low and did a leg sweep, which she dodged by leaping up and over him. While she was airborne Ares sent some shots from his blaster at her.

She blocked them, and upon landing got in close and cut his blaster nozzle in half. He threw the now useless blaster away and blocked her onslaught of attacks. At some point Ruin had gotten back up and joined his fellow Sith in the fray, adding extreme difficulty for Ares.

Ares barely managed to keep up. His body was screaming in pain and he was short of breath. With the chase in the Jedi archives, and whatever had brought them to this strange planet, Ares was effectively starting to feel fatigued.

Vile thrust at his chest, and Ares failed to parry it. Luckily for him, the lightsaber bounced off his Beskar armor, saving him from being victim to a painful end. Unluckily for him however, he was off balance and Ruin used the opportunity to blast him with Force-Lightning, causing him to be thrown tumbling back. He used his momentum to roll out of the way of the downward thrust of Vile's lightsaber, but he soon came to a halt on his back.

 **(End Song)**

Ares looked over and saw his helmet a ways away, knocked off his head while rolling. He looked up to see Ruin running at him. He quickly scrambled back as Ruin lunged at him, lightsaber raised to lop off his head.

Before the blade could reach him however, someone kicked Ruin away, landing in front of Ares. It was the mother of the little girl from before. Said girl ran up to Ares and looked down at him with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I've been better." he said as he got up.

He managed to gain his feet for a second before he fell to his knees. His breath came out in ragged gasps, lungs screaming for air. Ares knew he had reached his limit, there was no way he could continue fighting like this. If he tried to go on fighting, he would surely die. Looks like he was right before. He was up for fighting so hard just yet.

"You're hurt! We need to get you help." she said.

She turned to her mother who was staring down an angry Ruin. The woman stood in a martial arts type stance, spear held close and ready to use. Ruin glared at her, turning off his lightsaber. Ares recognized the gesture for what it was, Ruin didn't feel she was worth the effort to use his lightsaber.

"I must admit, you got me good." Ruin said. "But now it's my turn."

 **(Insert Smack Down-Thousand Foot Krutch)**

The woman sank into her knees as Ruin ran at her. Twirling her spear she defected his firs punch to the side then bringing it down on his head. Stunned, he stumbled back only to have his feet pulled from under him as the woman hooked her foot around his ankle and pulled. Ruin rolled to the side to avoid the spear head, spinning on his shoulders and launching himself back up to his feet.

He started shooting Force-lightning at her, causing her to dash to the side and dive out of the way of the deadly blasts. She got back to her feet, extending her spear before her. The green head of the spear started to glow, energy radiating from it. The woman spun the tip in a circle, and a green vortex shot horizontally at Ruin.

Surprised, he went to push back but was sent flying by the oncoming violent gust. He tumbled and rolled, ushered away by the attack. Once it stopped, he got back to his feet, charging again. As he ran he sent bolts of lightning and pushed waves of the Force at her. She expertly dodged the lightning, and avoided the waves, exchanging his attacks with her own powerful breezes.

Ares had no idea what the the green spear head was made of, but clearly it had elemental properties. It'[s power almost seemed to be on par with the Sith's very own mastery of the force. The woman got in closer to Ruin, kicking and twirling the spear around her erratically, forcing him to wildly evade her.

He finally missed judged one of her attacks and got a kick to the chest, followed by a face full of air. Sent back to the ground, he landed roughly on his back. The woman took a stance, breathing deeply. She seemed to have spent an adequate amount of energy, but the look in her eyes told that she could keep going for on a while.

Ruin got back to his feet, stumbling. He was looking very pissed. The woman started to advance towards him when he stomped, dark energy starting to ebb out and around him.

"Enough! This has gone on for too long!" Ruin yelled.

 **(End Song)**

He thrust out his hand, and the girls' mother dropped her spear, grasping her throat. She started floating in the air, feet inches off the ground. She made gasping choking sounds, kicking her legs. The girl stared in horror as her mother had the life squeezed out of her, unable to move or do anything.

Ares saw that Ruin's full attention was on her, so he pulled out his remaining blaster. His hand trembled, but he managed to get a shot at Ruin in the leg. In pain Ruin released the girls' mother, letting her drop to the ground gasping. The girl ran to her mother, helping her up.

The blaster fell out of Ares' trembling and numb hand. He held his hand up to inspect, seeing how it fluttered like a leaf. Frustrated at his current weakness he pounded it into the ground. This was just another sign of how unfit he was to continue fighting. He pounded his fist down again, thinking of how badly he wished he was at full strength to finish this.

He raised his hand to pound it down again when he stopped. Ares raised his hand up to his face, looking at it. His right hand, which had held the amulet. For some reason he couldn't explain, he reached into his belt and pulled out the amulet. The twin pyramid was dimly pulsating a purple glow, seeming to radiate a strange energy.

Ares got an idea then, feeling a strange tug at the corner of his mind. It was half baked and weighed heavily on an assumption, but some kind of instinct telling what to do. Against his better judgment, he listened to that instinct. For what did he have to lose?

He clutched the amulet, filled suddenly with reinvigorated determination. With a groan and with his body screaming protests, Ares pushed himself onto unsteady feet. Once he was positive he wouldn't fall back down, he held the amulet before him. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply.

Ares remembered back at the temple archives, when he had been cornered and had no way out. The way he felt strange energy flow through him when both the Jedi and Sith had pulled on the amulet. How it had glowed red, then blue, then purple. How he had felt both filled powerful, and full of awareness. How he had felt calm, and had known instinctively what to do.

In no time a light broke through the lids of his eyes, and he opened them to see the amulet. The dull glow was replaced with a bright luminescence, sending beams of indigo light in Ares' immediate vicinity. He did not feel the energy or awareness, but he had known it wouldn't come yet. Looking up from the amulet, Ares found the sight of the Sith and the Jedi fighting.

With a deep breath, Ares bellowed, "Hey! All you good for nothing Force-believing morons!" They all stopped, looking at him. "Yeah you! You want this amulet-artifact-thing!? Well come and get it!"

They wasted no time, going in an all out sprint at him, batting at each other with their lightsabers. Ruin tried to pull the amulet with the Force, but that was exactly what Ares wanted. The second the amulet was being pulled and turned to a more maroon color, Ares searched for that energy. He found it and focused on it, feeling it rush all throughout him.

Now that he knew that he could feel it he tested if he could harness and use it. Sliding his feet further apart and centering himself closer to the ground, he thrust out his hand holding the Darksaber two fingers extended. Nothing happened, the Jedi and Sith all continued to advance. He could feel energy moving through him to his hand and out, but it became weak and uncoordinated the second the energy left his body.

Vile reached him first, lightsaber rushing towards him. He ignited the Darksaber and parried her attack. He realized he could no longer feel the pain in his body, reinvigorated as much physically as mentally. Ares then started pushing her back, keeping hold of the amulet at all times. Once everyone else came things got a bit more tricky.

Ares was dodging lightsabers from four different angles, some colliding with one another to block the attacks of one another. He ducked low and leaped high, blocking and redirecting attacks as well as sending his own strikes. In the chaos Ares found himself moving faster than he'd ever moved before. Whenever he thought a lightsaber was getting too close, he somehow always managed to slide out of the way or smoothly block it with his Darksaber.

Then his vision started to shift out of focus and his mind started to cloud. He glanced at the amulet and saw it was becoming more and more red. He felt stronger, but he was losing more and more of his thought process. With a sense of urgency he leaped up and away from the four other lightsaber wielders. He shook his head violently, trying to clear his head.

He remembered the vault, how when either Side of the Force users had pulled the amulet it had glowed a distinct color and he had felt different. Red and powerful from the Sith, blue and enlightened from the Jedi. With what little rational thought he had, Ares yelled.

"Hey Jedi! I heard that the Sith are so much stronger than you in the ways of the Force, and they couldn't pull this from my hands!" He held up the amulet. "I bet you couldn't even make it twitch!"

Seemingly angered, Lorek reached out his hand and tried to pull at the amulet. When the Force touched the amulet it started turning back to maroon, then indigo, then violet. Ares felt his mind start to clear, as well as his strength wain. Once he was as level headed as he was willing to go with, he charged back at the four of them. Clashing blades with them all, Ares employed a new strategy.

"Jedi! I heard that you aren't allowed to love or have relationships. Does that mean you all die as virgins?" He mocked.

Myri's face became beat red in anger and embarrassment, and Lorek yelled as he increased the ferocity of his attacks. They sent more Force-based attacks at him, which all he took with the amulet held in front of him. It seemed to absorb the brunt of it, taking in the energy and making it it's own, in tern powering him. Vile and Ruin were laughing, reveling in the mockery of their soul sworn enemies. Ares smiled, turning to them.

"And I heard that the Sith are more open to emotions such as love and passion. Does that mean that Sith are more sex driven than most lusty of brothel servants?"

Vile screeched and ruin roared, now aiming all of their hate into their attacks at him. Ruin sent volley after volley of Force-pushes, causing Ares to skid several feet. Vile then thrust out her hand, sending a wave of Force-lightning at him. All through their attacks Ares just calmly held out the amulet to absorb all of it, looking no worse for wear. It was here that they all started to catch on to what he was doing, but it was too late.

They charged at him as he sank slightly into his knees. Turning off the Darksaber, he held out both hands before him. Before they Jedi and Sith could reach him they halted, frozen, as if they were being held down by something. Ares turned his hand with the amulet, palm up, so both palms were facing it.

Ares was moving, but not of his own accord. He was only focusing on the energy within him and the energy radiating from the amulet. It was like he was on autopilot, able to do what he needed without needing to put any effort into it. Closing his eyes Ares let go of all thought, and gave into the power of the amulet.

With clarity of mind, and an overwhelming surging strength, Ares roared. In his trance-like daze, the amulet glowed incredibly bright as it did before in the temple archives. The the ground under him started trembling, tiny stones floating in the air. The sky above darkened, black clouds forming and a fierce wind picking up. Lightning flashed, lighting the darkness and thunder boomed, shaking the ground.

Like before, Ares felt the energy inside him grow, then flow into the amulet. A blinding light that engulfed the five of them, and once the light diminished, it revealed that they were gone, nowhere to be seen. For the second time, they had vanished without a trace.

* * *

The little girl with silver eyes looked around. The sudden storm that had formed just moments before had left as fast as it had come. She had no idea what had happened, and was a bit disoriented. She walked around a bit, looking for the strangers that had appeared out of nowhere. But just like the storm, they had disappeared. She stopped walking when her foot hit something.

Looking down she found the helmet of the first stranger, the armored warrior. She picked it up and held it up in her tiny hands. The smooth cold metal smeared with dirt from the ground. The visor was cracked, probably caused from hitting the ground hard. She looked deep into the space where the eyes would be, remembering how bright the strange mans' green eyes had been.

Her mother walked over to her and placed her hand on her shoulder. She looked up at her mother.

"What were they mama?"

Her mother shook her head. "I don't know."

The girl looked back at the helmet, brow furrowed in thought. "The armored one said he wasn't a god when I asked, but he laughed. It was like he thought it was funny that I asked, like it should have been obvious what the answer was. If he wasn't a god, then what was he?"

"Who knows?" Her mom pursed her lips as knelt down next to her, holding her shoulders. "The heavens work in strange ways. I wouldn't really be partially surprised to learn that he and the rest of them were messengers or servants of the gods. How they fought was indeed god-like, the way they pushed each other with air and shot bolts of lightning, raw forces of nature, without the aid of Dust."

The girl just continued to stare at the helmet. Two parts of the thing the first man had been called by the others rang in her head; Man and Lore. Indeed, the five of them had seemed like they had stepped out from the depths of lore itself. She decided to know the first one as 'Man of Lore,' cause it sounded very close to what he had actually been called.

"The man from the Land of Lore." She said aloud. "A Man of Lore."

* * *

 **(Somewhere on Remnant)**

Ares found himself back in the darkness of the abyss. Just like before; he was weightless, unable to hear, or smell anything. There was an absolute nothingness all around him. He was in the endless depths of the void.

What was different this time however, was that he could see. Before him floated the forms of the other individuals that had accompanied him through this strange occurrence. Ruin, Vile, Lorek and Myri, all looked like they were in a trance, unaware of what was happening around them.

'Wounder what would happen if I did this?" he thought as he reached out his hand.

He focused on Vile, having the amulet guide him in his desire. He somehow focused her into a tiny space, energy surrounding her. Without knowing exactly what he was doing, he waved his hand, and a light appeared near her. It enveloped her, sending her to who knows where. Ares smirked, thinking he had gotten rid of a problem he had no answer for.

Ares reached out his hand towards the remaining three, planning to do the same to them. But before he could, there was a tremor. The empty space seemed to quiver from some unknown cause. He looked around, seeing lights start to appear everywhere. Ares felt several pulls and tugs on him, something, or many somethings, trying to grab hold of him.

He started to panic, forgetting his plans of ridding himself of his troublesome enemies. He looked down to the amulet, seeing the purple light dimly emanating from it. The colored light was fluttering just like last time in the empty space with that insistent rhythm, just like a heartbeat.

Filled with a sudden anger Ares snarled at the amulet.

"I don't know how, but I know this is your fault somehow!" He yelled at it.

The flashing light sped up, fluttering increasingly fast. As it continued he was hit with the sensation of his head burning. It was like he was being attacked by the amulet. With the assault on his mind, feeling himself being invaded and abused, he roared in pain and anger. What little part of Ares' mind that wasn't in pain, he wondered when he'd lost his sanity. Here he was, in the middle of the void as it tore itself apart, yelling at a glowing purple piece of jewelry.

Ares was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a as if something grabbed hold of him. He was being pulled back, his three remaining companions following him. Ares looked back to see a large ball of light, the thing pulling him. The amulet was making the thing pulling him in, dragging him along for a ride to the maker knows where. He felt his speed increasing, air pushing against him and his body folding against the force exerted against him.

At this point, he didn't care where he went. After all it wasn't like he had a choice, he was just along for the ride. As the light grew even larger as he headed straight for it, blazing towards him, he couldn't help but wonder what he'd see in this new place.

Before he knew it he was engulfed in the light. He left the void, falling in open air then shortly hitting ground and sent was rolling. Tired, in agonizing pain, and not having the heart to get up, he just laid where he landed. Soon the pull of sleep tempted him, and he willingly succumbed to it. He'd deal with whatever he was going to when it happened. Right now he was going to get the rest he deserved.

After all, he'd need all the strength he could get.

* * *

AN: I had a lot of ideas about how to end this, and about certain events leading up to it. But I went ahead and went with this way. Let's see if the fruits of my labor will blossom as well as I hope they will.

Side note, I have an idea for another crossover. A video game crossover, with characters from games coming to Remnant. I won't say who, or what games, as that's still under thought, but I just wanted to run it by my amazing readers to see what people thought of the idea. Any recommendations for characters and games (preferably human-oid), plot/story ideas for or just words of support would all be greatly appreciated. I look forward to what you think in reviews or PMs.

As always, please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Every opinion counts and matters to me, and helps so much to continuing and adding to the story. Thanks again to everyone and I hope to see you all again next time with, Chapter Three: The Stray Warrior


	4. The Stray Warrior

AN: Hey all and welcome to chapter three. I know these notes have been getting long, so I'm gonna cut them down from now on. I will try to respond to reviews personally from this point on, shortening AN's at the beginning and leaving more room for the story. So here's the last quick segment dedicated to responding to those special people who reviewed.

Anieto619: I know I have spelling errors. I have only the spellcheck of this site and Google Docs, and they are not that good at picking up small things like that. If I had Microsoft Word, my chapters would be cleaner when it comes to that. Trust me, it's a problem I will try to correct for future chapters and fix on previous chapters later. Thank you though for your more positive words. I like to think my grammar is very good when I try. I hope this story is enticing, I try my best to make it interesting and keep hold of all of your attention. I do my absolute best to make Ares as original as possible, able to grow and develop and not be a "Marry Sue." That is one of my greatest fears, making something so bland and boring that no one is interested in it.

Roach99: I'm just going to say now that I am really enjoying reading your reviews. Though short most the time, you get to what you think. No beating around the bush, no bullshit, just straight to the point. Thank you. And I strongly believe that fight scenes are my strongest writing ability.

I must say, I was almost expecting to hear comments on my user name changing a lot. I've changed it at least twice while making this story. Thought someone would mention it at least once. But whatever, I just wanted to say thanks for not making a big deal of it. But this name sticks. Enough about the massive nerd I am, on to the story.

 **EDIT:** So, there were a few things added on near the end, cause I felt this chapter was just a bit too... unsatisfactory. It's just my opinion of my work, trying to give all my readers better quality reading. Sorry for the inconvenience for those re-reading, and I give thanks to new readers for being patient and putting up with my BS.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Star Wars.**

With that out of the way, get on to reading and enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter Three: The Stray Warrior**

* * *

 _"Death is similar to us Mandalorians in that it makes no discrimination. All are welcome to join the party and very, very few leave it once they're part of the action."_ _-Venku Skirata_

* * *

Ares awoke with a start. He found himself lying on his back, looking up to see black. He first thought he was in whatever emptiness he'd been in before, but the feeling of a solid surface beneath him banished that thought. By the feel of the ground, he concluded he was on metal.

It took a while, but his eyes finally adjusted to the dimness. Not much was revealed, only darker shapes on a less dark background. The first thought that came to mind was to use the amulet to light up the area, but when he held it up, it was dim. Barely visible in the dark, it's light seemed weak and pathetic.

He remembered how he had yelled at the inanimate object. Ares felt so incredibly stupid for his lapse of rationality, it had been so unlike him. He blamed it on a mix of fatigue and fear from the void seeming to be collapsing. The amulet was an asset, but it was also an abnormality. He just didn't know how to use it or what he was doing, so whatever happened in the void was entirely his own fault. Remembering clearly how he had acted before he and the Jedi and Sith were-

The Jedi and Sith!

Ares looked around frantically, searching for his adversaries. After a full tense minute of nothing, he relaxed. He guessed if they were with him they would have been near, or if not they would have found him already.

Relieved by the thought, he returned to his current situation. Amulet held in his hand, he watched its dim glow. He searched inside himself, but found only a sliver of the power he had felt before. Confused, he tried to get up, only to find his entire body was wracked with immense pain. Ares focused on the energy inside, trying to ease the pain like how it had when he was fighting. It only dulled the pain by the smallest increment.

He clenched his hand over the amulet, trying to will power to flow out of it and into him. It did, but slowly and it only trickled into him. With what strength he could muster, Ares rolled over and braced himself to his hands and knees. Despite his pain and lack of strength, he otherwise felt nothing wrong with himself. His mind was sharp and his senses attuned.

Raising himself to his knees, he looked around again. His sight had improved a bit, allowing him to make out he was in a large room. The dark shapes turned into crates and boxes of various sizes. Ares assumed he was in some kind of storage area. With that in mind, he relaxed a bit. It wasn't much but it was shelter, and by the looks of the metal room and metal boxes, this was a bit more advanced society than the one he had been on earlier.

Looks like he had jumped planets again, but that was the last thing on his mind.

He could hear the sound of unseen water sloshing somewhere close. It sounded like there was a lot, waves crashing against something. Then he heard the rumble of engines roaring nearby, and felt the slight movement of the ground swaying beneath him. He was on a boat!

Ares was a bit confused, but relieved, elated even. He had a better idea of his situation, and was able to plan ahead. He could rest for a bit longer to recover. Now with a plan, he crawled over to the nearest box, propping himself up onto it. He got as comfortable as he could, resting his chin on his chest. He would wait until his body didn't ache as much and when he believed he had sufficient strength to venture out.

"Looks like I'll get to go sightseeing this time around." He joked. "Let's see what's in store for me on this world."

* * *

 **(Later, Still On The Ship)**

It took a few hours, but Ares finally found his strength almost fully returned. Getting up from his resting spot, he stretched. He checked all his weapons, seeing that he was running very low. He had only five more thermal detonators, a half tank of jetpack fuel, flamethrower gas, and a fourth of electricity for his suit. He still had one blaster pistol and his Darksaber, but they would only help in close counters.

While he was inspecting his armor he realized his helmet was missing. The ship storage area was better lit as light was filling in by windows up higher, so it was easier to look around. He searched around as thoroughly as he could, but did not find it. It was gone.

"Damn!" He cursed. "I must have left it at that other world."

Ares was not happy to be missing his helmet. That was more than just a piece of armor, it was a part of who he was. A symbol of his heritage and people. To lose it was a heavy blow to his pride.

"Nothing I can do about it now." He growled to himself. "I'll have to make do without it."

He went on to looking for the exit. It didn't take long till he found a door with a flight of stairs leading up. Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached to top met with another door. When he tried it he found it locked. He quickly fixed that with a well placed kick to the handle, opening it with little effort, as well as a loud bang.

Knowing the sound would have attracted some attention, he left the spot quickly. Soon he found himself in a long hallway, nowhere to hide for a good distance and no exit door other than the one he just come from. He started running down the long hall, and about a fourth of the way he heard voices and foot steps.

There was a door off to the side only a little ways away, and Ares made for it. He barely managed to pull it open, get himself in, then close the door when the voices reached the end of the hall.

"Did you hear that? It came from the cargo hold!"Someone said.

"Get to a radio and put the ship on cautionary alert. We just might have an intruder." Another said.

"Yes, sir!" about three or four voices said together.

Ares waited, as the sound of their voices and stomping footsteps receded and finally died. He relaxed a bit, opening the door a crack to check if the coast was clear.

Assured that he was clear Ares exited the door and continued on. It wasn't long before he heard a voice on a speaker system, warning everyone to keep their eyes and ears open.

As Ares crept around, it became apparent that this ship was very large. The hallways and passages were like a maze, turning every which way. It took Ares a full half hour to find his way through the large interior of the ship, finally reaching deck level. He reached out to open the large door leading outside, but had to jump back and hide when it started opening.

Two men carrying large leather bags walked through and closed the door. Ares backtracked deep into the hallway he was in, staying out of sight. They then started heading in his direction. Redoubling his pace but maintaining as much silence as he could, he kept as far back as possible.

They were talking, and Ares couldn't help but listen in.

"...I can't wait to get back to shore. It's just another hour or so away!" One of them said. "Once we're done offloading our cargo this morning I'm gonna take the weekend to drink my heart out."

"Yeah, same." the other said. "But don't get yourself a hangover on Sunday. Later that evening we're offloading a huge shipment of Dust, coming in from Atlas."

'Dust?' Ares wondered. 'Must be some kind of valuable item.' intrigued, he continued to listen.

"How huge?" the first asked.

"Huge! Big Schnee company freighter."

The first snorted. "Man. Those stuck up rich people and their over excessively sized everything."

"I bet it's cause they're trying to compensate for something." The other snickered, nudging the first.

They erupted into a fit of laughter, their bellowing roars echoing in the halls.

"Well, anyways, let's get moving. You heard what they said, 'Keep your eyes peeled. We just might have an intruder on deck." The second one said.

"Yeah right. If there is a stowaway, I gotta say, he's in for a hellish time if he's caught." The first stated.

Ares was tempted to show himself and teach then what real hell was like, but there was no real point to do so. But then again, did there have to be a point? As he contemplated this the second guy replied to the first.

"Yup. I almost feel bad for 'em." He sighed. "We'll be the ones left to mop up the the mess of what's left of him once the boys get a hold of him."

The two laughed again, slapping each other's backs as they turned down another hall. Feeling a bit murderous, Ares quickly followed them. He waited till they were relatively close to a door leading to a vacant room he had entered while looking for an exit.

They never knew what hit them.

Ares knocked their heads together, knocking them out and then dragged their unconscious forms into the room. After making sure they wouldn't cause any problems, Ares stripped the one that was closest to his size and took his clothes. If what they had said was true, it'd be another hour till they made it to shore. Ares' jetpack did not have nearly enough fuel to traverse that distance, and didn't think he'd be able to sneak around without being spotted once. So, better to blend in, hiding in plain sight.

After removing his breastplate and gauntlets, he held up the under shirt of the man he had just killed. It was covered in sweat, some grease, and smelled of smoke. But Ares had worn and smelt worse.

"Time for some old-fashioned, undercover shit." He joked, pulling it over his undersuit that he wore beneath his armor.

It didn't take long for him to finish changing, and the result was just as he hoped. In his new white tank top, blue jacket, heavy duty pants and suspenders, and utility belt, he looked like an average engineer. The only things that might make him look out of place where his combat boots that he kept on, and his belt and holster, which he adjusted to go around his chest and shoulders, able to conceal his blaster in his jacket.

Satisfied he had done a decent job, he double checked the bodies were well hid and that all his loose equipment was packed in one of the large leather bags. All prepped and raring to go, he left the room, going on to walk around the ship for the next hour and ten minutes. No one was the wiser, and no one would find the two dead men till much later, hours after Ares was long gone.

* * *

 **(Hours Later, Vale Docks)**

"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang asked.

"Ugh, they smell like fish." Ruby complained.

"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today." Weiss said. "And as a representative of Beacon I feel as though it is my solemn duty to to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake explained.

"Ah! You can't prove that." Weiss objected.

"Whoa." Ruby said, looking off to the side.

A Dust shop was surrounded by yellow police tape, closing off the whole section of the block. Windows were broken, the front door busted off it's hinges, and shattered glass spread everywhere in the immediate vicinity. The four girls headed towards it, planning to find out what happened.

As they walked, Blake froze as she felt a chill run down her spin. She had the feeling she was being watched. Her hidden ears perked and listening, she looked around. She found something atop a building to her right. It was too far away for her to make out what exactly it was, and as soon as she saw it it ducked out of sight. She had only glimpsed if for an instant, but she was sure that it had been a person.

"Blake?" Yang asked worriedly, pulling the secret Faunus from her thoughts. "You alright?"

Blake mentally shook her head, focusing once again on what her team was doing. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Yang gave one questioning look before Blake walked past her, joining the other two. Blake had been unnerved a bit, now staying closer to her teammates. As Ruby asked the detectives what had happened, Blake remained silent, instincts on high alert. Seeing whoever that was seemingly watching her and her team had sent a alarms blaring in her head. She trusted her instincts to recognize danger, and they had always been on point.

The person hadn't given her the sense of immediate danger, but the possibility of threat was enough to put her on alert. She hadn't survived this long by not being cautious.

'I have a bad feeling.' She thought.

* * *

 **(With Ares, Vale Docks)**

Ares ducked down from sight, pretty sure he had been spotted. He had just been surveying and exploring the general area, as he had for the last few hours since he got here. Getting off the ship had been a breeze, no one suspecting a thing while they went on with their day.

He'd changed his outfit a bit, mixing some of his armor with the engineer clothes. With the pants and over his under-suit's lower half, his breastplate under the jacket, and his boots and crushgaunts on. His blaster clipped to his side and the Darksaber safely hidden within his sleeve. The rest of both outfits were loaded in the bag he had taken from one of the men he killed earlier.

He felt so much better with most of his familiar attire on. The only thing that would make it feel like home would be having his helmet too. But alas, no use crying about things you have no control over.

For the past few hours he had been watching the local authorities investigate the robbed store. He'd been there before they had even arrived, not seeing the indecent happen, but it had seemed to have happened pretty recently when he had gotten here. Later, in the afternoon as he watched things unfold, he had noticed a group of four girls heading towards the raided shop.

What caught his attention was how striking their color coded clothes were, compared to everyone else around them. The first wore red, one wore white, another wore yellow, and the last wore black. Another thing that had caught his attention, had been the items they carried.

From his vantage point, and without the aid of his helmet to zoom in, he managed to make out that they seemed to carry weapons. The red one had something strapped behind her waist, the white one had a sword to her side, and the black one also had a sword strapped to her back. He couldn't tell if the yellow one carried a weapon, and if she did it was well concealed.

As he was sizing them up, getting the impression that they were warriors of some kind, the black one turned and looked directly in his direction, causing him to instinctively take cover. From this distance, he didn't think she'd be able to make him out, but the way she had pinpointed his general location so fast made him cautious.

'I've spent too long here.' He thought. 'Time to move out.'

He got up from his crouched position and headed for the opposite side of the building. Using balconies as foot rests, he descended rapidly down the side of the building. Once back on solid ground, Ares started heading off more inland. If he wanted to get answered, he'd need to find somewhere like a tavern or maybe a library, though the tavern would be more to his liking.

As he walked he heard shouting. He looked around as he continued on, seeing nothing. Then came the distinct sound of running, coming closer. Ares came to a corner, only to be pushed to the side by some blond guy as he ran past.

Ares got his balance back, managing to avoid the two policemen following right on the guy's tail. Literally. The blond guy had what appeared to have a monkey tail, trailing behind him.

'Wonder if that's a just genetic splicing or if he's part of an alien species not seen before in the galaxy?' Ares wondered.

They guy wasn't the strangest person he'd seen. There were plenty of a humanoids with unique traits only found from their species. From the many horned Zabrak, to the twin-tail heads of Twi'lek.

Ares assumed that if the guy was being chased by the authorities, then he had done something. Before he could ponder about it more, Ares was shoved from behind, hearing an "Oof!"

He went down like a sack of bricks, but managed to catch himself with his forearms, keeping him from face planting.

"No! He got away!" Ares heard someone say right behind and above him. It occurred to him that whatever had knocked him over must have been a person. Another giveaway was the shifting weight on his back.

"Uuhh, Weiss...?" another voice said, seeming a bit concerned.

There was a small 'eek' of surprise and Ares felt the weight lift off of him. Rolling to the side he sprang back up to his feet, turning around. He found the four girls he'd seen going to the robbed shop just a minute ago.

Frowning, Ares locked his eyes on the girl closest to him, the one in white, which he assumed was the one to run into him.

"Mind telling me what the big idea is?" he asked.

"Sorry. We were running, and I turned the corner and didn't notice you in time." She apologized.

"Well, clearly." he dusted himself off. "Why don't you watch where you're going next time? You just might end up making a complete idiot of yourself if you keep up being clumsy like that."

"Hey! She said she was sorry." the girl in red said defensively.

"Sorry is good and all, but I could have broken something if I hadn't caught myself. I'm not made of metal you know."

"Okay, seriously dude. What is your problem?" the girl in yellow asked.

"I'm just having a very off day." Ares basically understated. "So, if you're done wasting my time, I've got some important things to do. If you'll excuse me ladies." He bowed mockingly.

Turning away from them, he headed inland.

'What an unpleasant encounter.' He thought as he walked. 'If I never see them again, it'll be too soon.'

Unknown to him he passed by a girl with orange hair and green and grey themed clothes. He'd seen what happened and watched him go, a frown on her face.

'Why is he so unhappy?' she wondered innocently as she watched him storm off.

* * *

 **(Club)**

The music blared as the front door opened, admitting the young warrior. Ares walked straight to the bar counter, taking a seat.

The man behind the bar looked him up and down, eyebrow raised. "Aren't you a little young to be in here, kid?"

Ares was not in the mood for any chit chat, so he pulled out his blaster and aimed it at the man's head. "Get me a drink. Something mild alcohol wise." He placed his finger on the trigger. "Try anything and I will paint the floor with your brains. Do I make myself clear?"

The man nodded excessively, looking like a funny bobble-head.

"Good. Now make it snappy, I don't have all night." Ares said.

The man dashed off to farthest end of the bar, looking for a drink. Ares put his weapon away, and that's when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

He looked over his shoulder to see a man and two girls. The man was tall, with a bar tender outfit, while the girls wore similar outfits, one white and the other red. Mentally sighing, Ares got up from his seat, hand ready to reach for his blaster.

"You know, it's impolite to come into someone's establishment and cause trouble." The man said. "I would like to ask you to leave, but I'd rather not have to pay for repairs for my club again. So, what do you want kid?"

"Seems I'm not the first to come here looking for something." Ares noted aloud. "Fine. I'm looking for an information broker. Someone to tell me the ins and outs of this city, from top to bottom."

"That's quite the tall order." The main said. "And just how do you expect to pay me for all that info?"

"By sparing your life." Ares stated 'matter-of-fact.'

The man frowned, looking to the girls at his side. The nodded, and walked to engage Ares. Rolling his eyes, Ares decided to make this quick. When the girl in white threw kicks at him, he dodged them before catching her leg. He punched her in the face, dazing her. He then twisted her leg till she was forced to turn, having it bent up and behind her awkwardly.

Ares placed his foot on her back and sharply pushed her as he let go of her leg, sending her at the other girl. The girl in red ducked, but Ares was right in front of her, using the girl in white as cover for his advance. He kneed her, sending her up, catching her head and head butted her.

After pushing her aside He would find the nozzle of a rather large gun, a bazooka if he had to guess, point blank in his face.

"I think I'll take back what I said. I will make you leave." The main said. "So kid, you willing to leave quietly, or do I have to call an ambulance?"

Ares couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, you'll have to call them. But not for me."

He quickly reached out his hand, grabbing the end of the bazooka, and crushed the end of the nozzle. The man held up his gun, looking at the damaged weapon in awe and fear. He looked at Ares, then to his bazooka, and back again. He dropped the gun, holding his head down in defeat.

"The name's Junior. How may I help you, sir...?" He seemed to be looking something to call Ares.

"You can call me 'Mando' for now." Ares said, using the common nickname for his people as an alias. "And I told you, I want an info broker. To find me info when I can't find it myself. You'll be the confirmation to info that I wouldn't normally be able to get."

"Sure, I can do that. No problem." Junior said.

"Good. Now, can you tell me where I can find a good place to take a maintenance run on my arsenal?"

* * *

(Ship From Before)

A loan sailor sat down in a deck chair on the ship, sipping a beer. It had been a long day, made even longer when the two dead bodies were found within the ship. They had presumably been killed earlier that day, stripped of their outfits and equipment and hidden from sight. Only when the smell had gotten so bad had someone been able to find them.

The police had spent hours searching the entire ship for clues as for who had killed them and why. All the crew members had been interrogated and searched, but came up with nothing. The heads of the dead people had shown that they had been smacked together with enough force to cause cracks to form on their skulls.

It was a mystery, and had caused everyone to be on edge then entire time. When they could find nothing, the police left with the usual, 'keep an eye out.'

The man scoffed at the thought. They had been keeping an eye out, cause they had suspected there was an intruder on the ship. The fact that they had gotten off the ship, undetected and killing two people without so much as a sound, it was terrifying to say the least.

He was thrown from his thoughts when he heard footsteps.

"Frank! That you?!" He asked, having thought everyone else had left for home.

He suddenly rose from his chair, grasping his neck and gasping for air. Before the man's eyes, a cloaked figure appeared, hood pulled over their face. In the dim light, the person seemed to just appear from the darkness itself.

"W-Who... What...?" he managed to gag out.

"I will be asking the questions." the deep and hoarse voice of Darth Ruin said. "Now, let's see what information I can rip from that tiny mind of yours.

Ruin grabbed the man by the upper part of his face, digging his fingers into his scalp. He reached out into the man's mind, ripping it open and searching for what he wanted. The man began to suffer unimaginable pain as his mind was torn to shreds by the dark cloaked man.

The sailor's screams echoed in the empty halls of the ship, but were abruptly silenced. No one would have been able to save him, even if there had been anyone close enough to hear his dying agonized wails. The night would go on, with another soul lost at the hands of another warrior.

* * *

AN: So, from this point we will be seeing more of Ruby and the gang! Yay! Now, a few very important things I have to inform all my awesome readers about.

 **EDIT:** Wow, this is hard to do. So, one, again, sorry for the delay, but you'll find out why it happened down below. Also sorry for the random edit. It was just before I had put myself on a 'schedule,' and I was trying to meet it when I just couldn't. So, I went back and edited what I felt had rushed an unfinished and unpolished product.

To some up the end of this note, as this info has already been said. Currently in my personal life, things are tough. Classes are super hands on, taking up more of my time, making posting new chapters to take longer. It will take about a month to finish each chapter, at minimum. And, I will also be trying to work on that other story I mentioned last chapter.

Lastly, the "Video Game Crossover" I mentioned last chapter, I've decided most of what I'm going to do with it. If any are wondering what it's going to crossover... well, to hype and excited the shit out of it, three words; RWBY, Halo, and DOOM. I plan to have other games, movies, and other things implemented and referenced and all that good jazz, but the main focus will be on these categorizes. So look forward to that. And that's it for now.

Sorry again for the weirdness of a teen with too much on his plate, and thank you for all your support. You guys and gals are all awesome.

As always, please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Every opinion counts and matters to me, and helps so much to continuing and adding to the story. Thanks again to everyone and I hope to see you all again next time with, Chapter Four: Embers, Cinders, and Ashes


	5. Black and White Ashes Pt1

AN: Hey all and welcome to chapter four. I decided to make this two parts to get what I want out while not making one page too long.

Now, needed to note again just as a precaution, **if anyone is reading this before reading the edited version of the last chapter, please go back and read it!**

Also, I recently got my hands on the Republic Commando series, as a few of you have been recommending to me. I am eager to start reading and gain more knowledge. Thanks again for those who told me of these books.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Star Wars.**

With that out of the way, get on to reading and enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Black and White Ashes Pt.1**

* * *

 _"The Empire and the Rebellion both have flawed ideas of government. The difference is that the Empire has the coin." - Boba Fett_

* * *

 **(Bar)**

Ares put down the empty glass of ale. He pushed it to the side to where two others, clearly telling he'd just finished his third. The bartender looked at Ares, a questioning look in his eyes. Having reached his personal limit, Ares shook his head, indicating to receive no more. Placing the needed lien on the bar counter, Ares left the bar.

After just two days to get used to this world, Ares had learned quite a bit. Junior had given him little largely useful information, but he provided enough small bits to suffice. Whatever Ares couldn't find out from Junior, he well made up for what he found in books at libraries.

Speaking of the club owner and gang leader, Ares had found that the man had little to offer. He had eyes and ears, but not enough, or good enough ones. Ares had made sure that he kept a contact point between them for in case he needed him, but Ares doubted he'd need him very much. As for info that he had learned, Ares found some good tid-bits.

Most of the info in the books was interesting, but held little use. He got a brief history course, learning about some important wars and battles. He learned about the world continents and kingdoms, how culturally diverse and independent they were. He learned about the overall money and government systems. He learned about the major species inhabiting this world; humans, Faunus, and Grimm.

What Ares found really interesting, besides the Faunus and their unique animal traits, and the monstrous Grimm; was an item called Dust. Said to be a natural occurring crystal-like energy propellant, with various unique properties and uses. It reminded him of his Beskar armor, how it held properties that couldn't be found in most other elements, especially when crafted a certain way.

As much as he had wanted to get his hands of some of this Dust, he held off his curiosity for a while. He spent these past two days to learn and adjust some. With a better feel of this world, he felt he was ready to start take large strides. His short term of extensive research and coming up with a backstory if he needed to explain anything, he was ready to try blending in as one of the locals.

Heading towards the front door with a pack slung over his shoulder, he couldn't help but smirk. Pushing open the door, he entered the buzzing life of Vale City.

* * *

 **(Weapons Shop)**

A bell rang as Ares entered the store. A large assortment of weapons lined the shelves and walls, sporting individual parts to complete designs. He saw that along with the weapons were vials and crystals of various colors, the most common being red, blue, brown, and green.

He walked right to the front counter, met with a fairly aged man. With bent stature, twig like arms, and leathery wrinkled skin, he was not intimidating in the least. But Ares had faced creatures no taller than three feet, and they had a bite to be watched out for.

"Welcome sonny, to 'Doug's Daggers and Darts.' " The old man said, high nasally voice matching that of the stereotypical old man. "I'm Desmond, Doug's older brother. How may I help you today?"

"I'm looking to make an custom order." Ares said. "I've need to make some changes to both my arsenal and my armor."

Desmond clapped his hands together once, the lone sound booming in the quiet store. "Excellent!" He said excitedly. "May I see the equipment in question?"

Ares shrugged off the pack he brought, placing it onto the counter. He pulled out his forearm gauntlets, chest plate, jetpack, holding back the rest of his armor, his blaster pistol and the Darksaber. Desmond took out a pair of goggles with tiny magnifying glasses, picking up each armor piece and weapon individually. He had his face extremely close to them, inspecting them very thoroughly.

After a few minutes, he put them down, taking off his goggles. "Well, I was not expecting this." He looked up, eyeing Ares with a raised eyebrow. "These are some very strange and high quality items you've got here, sunny. Mind sharing where you got such fine pieces?"

Ares had sighed, relaxing as he feigned nonchalance. "I was able to score a lucky break, getting a good deal on them." He shrugged. "My family had good connections with the Atlas military, allowing access to some of the latest and best equipment they had to offer."

He had prepared for these exact type of questions. He was nothing if not prepared for as much as possible.

"Your family 'had' good connections?" Desmond restated questioningly.

"Things became complicated a few years back." He waved his hand dismissively. "Convoluted and controversial government politics. You wouldn't want to hear of all the ugly things my family was taken for court for. A good more than half of them are lies anyway."

Desmond continued to eye him for a little longer, considering his words. He eventually nodded. "I won't push the matter any further."

"Thank you." Ares said gratefully. "Now, what do you think?"

"Hmm." Desmond stroked his chin. "I'd say that there isn't much to do with them. They seem to be in great condition, and I doubt there's much for me to do to improve them."

"Well, I had a few ideas of what I wanted to try." Ares explained. "I just wanted to run them by an expert first to see if they would be possible."

"Maybe... What did you have in minds?" Desmond asked.

Before Ares could answer, the door slammed open. "Hands in the air!" a voice yelled

Ares glanced back, seeing a small group of six men wielding guns. They wore black hooded jackets, with white vests over them. Grey masks covered the top half of their faces. Judging by their matching uniform-like attire, Ares assumed they were part of some kind of organization. Something about them seemed familiar though.

Desmond swore under his breath. "Damn."

Ares looked between the man and the men. "What's wrong? Who are they?"

Desmond gave Ares a look, but when he saw that he was serious began to answer. "They're the-"

A hand pulled Ares around, belonging to one of the masked men.

"I said, hands up human!" he said, aiming his gun at Ares.

Ares in turn just raised an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?"

His remark was met with a punch to the gut, followed by a knee to the face. Ares dropped like a stone, holding his stomach and pinching his nose. The man had pulled a cheap shot, but it was effective. Ares had to give him credit, he knew just where to hit to hurt the most, as well as being faster than Ares had first thought.

Putting a booted foot on the side of Ares' head, the man spoke. "That's why." he and rest of his buddies chuckled. "No one messes with the White Fang and gets away with it."

Ares remembered now. He had read a bit about the peaceful protesters turned radical terrorists. These were Faunus that wanted to wipe humanity off the face of the planet because of not being treated equally. Honestly Ares couldn't care less about why they did what they did. He'd had his fair share of unpleasantness on both sides of giving and receiving.

One, he'd seen it all before on several planets. One species or another belittling a species and seeing them as lesser beings. And two, he was not all that different than them. Alongside his people; he'd killed, fought in wars for either and both sides, causing immeasurable damage and countless deaths. He had even enjoyed doing all of it at times.

After all, a good portion of his species - him included - had acted as bounty hunters for a time. They'd done just as terrible things as these people, for no reason other than making a profit and adding to their status as one of the greatest warriors the galaxy knew. Alike or not, Ares was a warrior, and a competitive one at that. He would not allow himself to be beaten easily.

'I am a Mandalorian. I do not retreat, I do not give up, and I do not lose. If these guys want a fight, I'll sure as hell give them a fight.' He thought.

"You know, I heard that you Faunus are pretty strong." Ares said. "You're supposed to surpass humans in every physical aspect."

All five Fang members laughed. "Indeed. Genetically we are your superiors in every way imaginable." The one above Ares aimed his gun at Ares' head. "Those gonna be you're last words?"

"Maybe." Ares admitted the possibility. "But why should I die without seeing it first hand?"

"What?!"

"Well, if I die before seeing it for myself, how do I to really know that you're superior. For all I know, you're all talking out of your asses, and you only took me down because you got lucky and surprised me, giving me no chance to fend for myself." Ares looked at them, wearing a mocking look. "I'll die knowing you're a bunch cowards, and my death will just prove it to everyone else."

There was a long, tense silence. For a second Ares almost thought his plow wouldn't work, but then the man spoke again.

"Well then." He removed his boot from Ares head. "Let us show you just how superior we are. Get up and fight human."

"With pleasure." Ares said with a smirk.

Planting his hands on the ground and rolling over a shoulder, he did a spinning kick flip. He was launched into the air and simultaneously kicked the White Fang member above him right in the chin. Continuing with his momentum from the launch Ares finished the flip and landed on his feet, charging right away.

Ares got right up in next White Fang member's face, literally. With a palm to the face, his head snapped back. Ares grabbed him by the throat, hooking his foot around other's ankle and pulled his feet out from under him. With a lift up at his throat, Ares then sent the the Fang member crashing into the ground head first.

The other Fang members had gotten over initial their shock over his sudden attack, and begun to fight back. Ares reached out to one of the lower shelves and grabbed a part of a staff. He advanced, and spinning up and rising around, swinging the staff upwards then down and to the side. It knocked the guns out of two Fang members, leaving only two armed.

The last armed Fang members were able to fire off a few rounds, forcing Ares to duck behind a shelf. When he heard the firing stop he didn't hesitate. He broke the staff in half, rose and jumped to the side, throwing the staff halves like javelins. Before the Fang members could aim properly the staffs hit one directly in the forehead knocking him off balance and dazing him, while the other was hit in the throat sending him to the ground gasping.

He ran to the next Fang member, who tried running away. Ares grabbed him by the collar pulling him towards him, walking up towards the store counter. He leaped over the counter and with a sharp tug he pulled the Fang before him. Ares adjusted his grip to holding the Fang member by the back of the head and slammed his face against the counter.

Ares leaped back over the counter and charged at the next Fang member, who had enough brains to try to get his gun again, but Ares wasn't going to give him a chance. He shoved the Fang member over towards a wall, ran to the side of him and leaped at the wall, pushing off it and used his same leg to kick the guy in the face. The fang member landed hard on the ground, but got up again. He dove for the gun, and when Ares reached him he stepped on his hand. He kicked the Fang member in the face, cutting off his screams of pain.

Ares was unexpectedly hit in the side of the head with the butt end of a gun, sending him to the ground. Ares rolled and got to his feet, only to stagger, having being dealt a damaging blow. He touched his hand to his temple, it coming back with fresh blood. He was kicked in the back, sending him back to the ground. He caught himself on his hands, but he was kicked in the face.

Rolling a ways, he stopped on his back. Ares looked up the to see the last fifth Fang member aiming a rifle at him.

"Damn human!" He snarled. "No one makes a fool of the White Fang. Time to die!"

He tightened his finger on the trigger, but a dart embedding itself into the Fang member's shoulder made the shot miss. Ares looked over at the hole in the ground near his head, seeing just how close to death he had been.

'Add that to other close calls.' he noted to himself.

He looked back us more darts bombarded the Fang member. Most were just clipping him, tearing clothes and scratching flesh. The end result was the Fang member's firing arm left disabled, and one of his legs hit with one above his knee.

Desmond appeared before Ares, darts held between his fingers.

"Take your friends and leave." He ordered.

The Fang members were all getting up, but they were in no condition to fight. They help each other up and scrambled out of the weapon shop.

"And stay out!" Desmond yelled after them. He walked back over and helped Ares up. "Sorry you had to get caught up in all that, sonny."

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to stuff like that." Ares said. He made a mental note to himself to give hell to any and all future White Fang member he met and fought. 'I'll use every skill I have as a bounty hunter to find each and every single one of them. No one threatens a Mandalorian and gets away with it.'

He looked around at the wrecked shop frowning. 'But why would those cowardly scum attack a store like this?' Ares wondered. Aloud he asked, "Any reason in particular they had beef with your shop?"

Desmond sighed. "A while back, my brother refused to serve some Faunus customers." He explained. "His son was killed in one of the Fang raids, and he's been resentful since." He shook his head. "I keep telling him that that attitude will do nothing but make things worse, but he's stubborn, and is grieving. Once the wound isn't as fresh, he'll change his ways, but till then I'm operating the shop so things like what just happened don't happen... much."

Ares nodded. 'So, they're sore losers. Good to know.'

"So, I guess I should pay for the damages?" The two looked around at the partially wrecked shop, weapon parts scattered on the floor, shelves toppled over, and so on. Desmond looked to Ares, a small smile gracing his wrinkled face.

"You helped protect my shop from those hooligans. I'd say that's enough payment, risking your life and all that." Desmond said, patting Ares' shoulder.

Ares made it a point to at least pay for some of it, as well as helping cleaning up the mess. His efforts were rewarded when Desmond relented and allowed him to pay a small sum and help clean. It took a while, but eventually the two had the shop all cleaned up and ready for customers. You wouldn't have known that he had been attacked by a terrorist group just by looking at it.

"Now." Ares said. "If it isn't too much to ask, about that custom order..."

* * *

 **(Vale City Streets)**

Ares felt quite satisfied. He had gotten a few new additions to his arsenal, and a few quick small upgrades. His armor had been left with Desmond for remodeling, save for his crushgaunts, forearm gauntlets, and boots. The only true new additions to his arsenal was two revolver pistols and a short sword.

Taking out one of the revolvers he spun it around his finger, before stopping. He opened and spun the cylinder, examining the slug rounds. Both regular and Dust infused bullets. He was interested to see how the Dust would act upon use. Desmond had demonstrated a few shots to Ares to give an example of what he might want. As there were many different types of Dust, Ares conceded to a few rounds of each to see for himself which worked best for his style.

The sword was nothing special, just regular steal with no Dust. He chose this one cause it resembled the Darksaber in terms of shape, and it held better weight. It's hilt was made for single and two handed grip, for more options in terms of fighting technique.

Over all, the weapons were relatively primitive to him, and even with the Dust factor in the guns it wasn't as effective as his usual arsenal. But they would serve their purpose well enough. Plus it would help him blend in with the rest of the locals, lessening the chance of questions being raised and investigated.

And even if he were to be investigated, he had another new item that would help with that a bit.

He put the cylinder back in place and put the gun in it's holster. He was well armed, but his armor, and everything else would have to wait. Hopefully he could keep a low profile until he could get it all back. He passed what looked like a couple, giving them no mind till he heard a snip-bit of their soft spoken conversation.

"... don't believe the White Fang are behind these attacks." he heard clearly.

That caused him to miss a step in his pace, stumbling a bit. Recovering, he looked back to see the pair continue walking.

He recognized both of them as the monkey tailed guy that had shoved past him and the girl in black that had seen him on the roof top. Without thinking much about it, he turned and followed them, just close enough to hear them while keeping a fair distance away.

"They've never needed that much Dust before." The girl said.

'White Fang stealing Dust?' Ares wondered. 'Well, they are terrorists. Stealing would fit with that jurisdiction.'

"What if they did?" the guy asked, stopping. Ares stopped too, keeping back while looking like he wasn't listening in.

"I mean... the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they'd most likely go to if they were to do it, and not find them there... Right?" The guy explained.

Ares frowned at that. 'That not only doesn't make any sense, nor does it seem like sound logic.' he thought.

"The only problem is, I have no idea where that would be." The girl said.

'Why would she know where the Fang would steal from?' Ares thought suspiciously. 'Is she a sympathizer of the Fang? If so, why?'

"Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a 'huge' shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas."

'Huge is a very broad and vague description.' Ares thought. 'That aside, why does this sound familiar?'

"How huge?" the girl voiced half his thoughts.

"'Huge.' Big Schnee Company freighter." he specified.

A light clicked on in Ares' head, remembering the conversation he'd heard back on the boat his ended up on. This had to be the same one that had been talked about. Backing away and slinking into a nearby ally, Ares took his leave. For a few seconds his mind raced, processing all this new information.

He didn't know why these two wanted to find out why the White Fang was attacking and robbing stores, but that was not what he focused on. Back at the store, he hadn't been able to interrogate those members and find out where the rest of their pals were. But if these two were looking for them and had a lead, what kind of hunter would he be to not use this opportunity to his advantage?

"Looks like I have a trail to my prey." Ares smirked. "Let the hunt begin."

* * *

 **(Vale Docks)**

Atop the rooftop of a warehouse, Ares waited patiently. Night had already fallen, the ever present shattered moon shining brightly. He had gotten to the docks hours ago, following the guy and girl. They watched the docks from another rooftop a little ways away from him, unaware of his presence.

As patient as Ares could be when he wanted to, he was getting restless.

'I want to bash heads so bad right now.' He thought. 'If only they'd get here al-'

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of roaring engines. Looking up, he saw an airship flying to the docks. The ship dropped down and the walkway extended down to the ground. Soon enough, White Fang members emerged from the airship.

'About time!' Ares grinned. He reached into his jacket, pulling out the other new item he got; a helmet-like mask.

It was simplistic, covering entire his face and around his head. The visor was designed just like his original helmet, just like what every Mandalorian helmet looked like. It didn't have any special features like targeting or heat vision, and wasn't made of Beskar, but it would do just fine.

'Show time.'

He leaped down, landing with a loud thud. The time for stealth had passed, now came the part where he kicked ass and took names. Striding up he walked right out into plain view.

"Hey, criminal rejects!" Ares called out. Several headed snapped to his direction, surprised at this intrusion. "I've got a bone to pick you!"

The sound of swords being drawn and guns loading were heard, but that only served to excited Ares. Time to take his new gear out for a spin.

* * *

AN: Well, I guess things are starting to get fun.

Remember the "Video Game Crossover" I've mentioned few last chapters? Well, it's should be out by the same time this is. So when you're done reading this, if you wanna go check that over, it's name is Remnant's Fate: Doom?

As always, please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Every opinion counts and matters to me, and helps so much to continuing and adding to the story. Thanks again to everyone and I hope to see you all again next time with, Chapter Four: Black and White Ashes


End file.
